imbibe

verb

im·​bibe im-ˈbīb 

imbibed; imbibing

transitive verb

1

a

: drink

b

: to take in or up

a sponge imbibes moisture

2

a

: to receive into the mind and retain

imbibe moral principles

b

: to assimilate or take into solution

3

archaic : soak, steep

intransitive verb

1

: drink sense 2

2

a

: to take in liquid

b

: to absorb or assimilate moisture, gas, light, or heat

imbiber noun

Synonyms

• belt (down)
• drink
• gulp
• guzzle
• hoist
• knock back
• pound (down)
• quaff
• sip
• slug (down)
• slurp
• sup
• swig
• swill
• toss (down or off)

Examples of imbibe in a Sentence

She imbibed vast quantities of coffee.

She never imbibes but isn't offended when others do.

Recent Examples on the Web

Have After-Dinner Drinks For a sleepy town that formerly lived by a lights-out-by-eight mentality, there are plenty of places to imbibe, from a few local breweries to Tin Whiskey Southern Kitchen & Still, one of the newest additions to the food scene. —Marisa Spyker, Southern Living, 20 May 2024

Queen Anne is an open invitation to a cruising crowd who want more — in food, entertainment, wellness, and places to imbibe, among other attractions — all presented on a silver platter and, in some cases, by white-gloved waiters. —Fran Golden, Travel + Leisure, 6 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English enbiben to absorb, cause to absorb, from Latin imbibere to drink in, absorb, from in- + bibere to drink — more at potable

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Kids Definition

imbibe

verb

im·​bibe im-ˈbīb 

imbibed; imbibing

1

: to receive into the mind and retain

imbibe knowledge

2

a

: drink entry 1 sense 1a

b

: absorb sense 1

imbiber noun