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

There is an increasingly large audience looking for intoxicant-free alternatives, with Gen Z imbibing 20 percent less than Millennials and many health buffs opting to go alcohol-free. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 2 Oct. 2024

Of course, few people unseal the collector’s item to imbibe and take it home to add to their collection. —Ramsey Qubein, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024

Those looking to imbibe in the hotel can head to Stir, the lobby-level bar that also serves light bites. —Christine Burroni, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2024

The nutcracker Those enjoying hot chocolate, hot apple cider or other nonalcoholic drinks can imbibe from this stately design. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 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