absorb

Compared meaning: take in a liquid, gas, or food (verb).

比较义项：吸收，摄入（液体、气体或食物等物质进入体内或物体内部）（动词）。

• absorb 本词

  Describes a surface or material soaking up liquid or gas passively, without an act of eating; common subjects are soil, skin, or the body absorbing nutrients.

  指物体表面或身体被动地吸入液体或气体，并非“吃”的动作；常见主语是土壤、皮肤，或身体吸收养分。

  Dry soil quickly absorbs water after a heavy summer rain.

  干燥的土壤在夏季一场大雨后会迅速吸收水分。

• ingest

  A more formal or clinical word for taking something into the body through the mouth, often used for food, drink, or harmful substances swallowed accidentally.

  一个更正式或医学化的词，指经口把东西摄入体内，常用于食物、饮料，或不小心吞下的有害物质。

  Some fish can accidentally ingest tiny pieces of floating plastic.

  有些鱼可能会不小心摄入漂浮的微小塑料碎片。

Both mean taking a substance into the body. Absorb means a surface or body soaks up liquid or gas, like soil absorbing water. Ingest is formal, meaning to take something in through the mouth, often food or drink. Excludes absorb meaning 'to hold full attention'.

两者都指“把某种物质摄入体内或物体内部”，但方式不同：absorb 强调物体或身体通过表面自然、被动地吸收液体或气体，如土壤吸水、身体吸收营养；ingest 强调主动经口摄入食物、饮料或异物，医学和科学语境中常见。这里不比较 absorb 的“使全神贯注”这一义项。

Compared meaning: hold someone's attention (verb).

比较义项：吸引并占据某人的注意力（动词）。

• engage

  Engage means to actively capture someone's interest or draw them into an activity, often via a task, question, or conversation, typically taking an object plus activity; weaker than absorb, since it does not imply total immersion.

  engage指主动吸引某人的兴趣，或使其参与到某项活动中，常见结构是“使某人参与到某事中”；语气比absorb弱，并不表示完全沉浸其中。

  The teacher used a quiz to engage even the quietest students in class.

  老师用一个小测验，让即使是最安静的学生也参与到课堂中来。

• absorb 本词

  Absorb means to hold someone's attention so completely that they become fully immersed and lose awareness of their surroundings; it is often used passively and is stronger than engage.

  absorb指完全占据某人的注意力，使其全神贯注，以至于意识不到周围的环境；常用被动结构“沉浸在某事中”，语气比engage强。

  She was so absorbed in the novel that she missed her bus stop.

  她全神贯注地看小说，以至于错过了自己下车的站。

Both mean to hold someone's attention. Engage is milder: drawing someone into interest or activity. Absorb is stronger: holding attention so fully someone becomes immersed, unaware of surroundings. Excludes: engage as 'hire' or 'get engaged'; absorb as 'soak up liquid' or 'take in knowledge, cost'.

这两个词在表示“吸引并占据某人的注意力”这一意义上比较接近，但语气强弱不同：engage较为温和，强调让人参与或产生兴趣；absorb则更强烈，强调使人完全沉浸、忘乎所以。这里不比较engage的“雇佣”“订婚”“（齿轮）啮合”等意义，也不比较absorb的“吸收（液体）”“吸收（知识、成本等）”等意义。