digest
gb/dˈaɪd͡ʒɛst/ us/dˈaɪd͡ʒɛst/
A2
English
~ 4600
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
Break down food in the body
When your body changes food into substances it can use.
Usage pattern:
to digest [food/drink]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'digest' with 'swallow', but 'digest' happens after swallowing inside the body.
Synonyms
metabolize (More technical; refers to all chemical processes in the body, not just breaking down food.)
Antonyms
vomit (To eject food from the stomach instead of processing it.)
Collocations
digest food
|digest a meal
|easily digest
Themes
health
|biology
|daily life
|body
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- It takes several hours to digest a large meal.
- Some people cannot digest dairy products easily.
- The human body digests proteins and carbohydrates differently.
Learner examples
- Your body digests bread quickly.
- I cannot digest milk well.
- The baby is learning to digest solid food.
Verb
B1
action
2
Fully take in new information
To take time to understand new ideas or facts.
Usage pattern:
to digest [information/news/idea]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with 'memorize', but 'digest' emphasizes understanding, not just remembering.
Synonyms
absorb (Focuses on taking in information, sometimes used figuratively.)
Antonyms
ignore (To deliberately not think about or understand something.)
Collocations
digest the news
|digest information
|digest the report
Themes
learning
|communication
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She needed time to digest the news of her promotion.
- It was hard to digest all the facts presented in the meeting.
- He paused to digest what she had just said.
Learner examples
- I need time to digest this news.
- He is digesting the lesson slowly.
- Please digest the report before we talk.
Noun
B1
entity
3
Summary collection of writings
A short version of a text or a group of short pieces of writing.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with 'directory' or 'catalog', but those list items without summarizing content.
Synonyms
summary (General term for a shorter version of something.)
Antonyms
full text (The complete, unabridged version of something.)
Collocations
monthly digest
|news digest
|readers' digest
Themes
media
|publishing
|education
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The magazine publishes a monthly digest of top stories.
- I read a digest of the research findings.
- This news digest covers the main events of the week.
Learner examples
- I read a weekly news digest.
- The book is a digest of many stories.
- This digest is easy to read.
Grammar
Dictionary form
digest
IPA
GB/dˈaɪd͡ʒɛst/
US/dˈaɪd͡ʒɛst/
Syllables & stress
di - gest (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (di)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: digest
- Plural: digests
Verb
- Base: digest
- 3rd Person Singular: digests
- Present Participle: digesting
- Past: digested
Word family
Expressions
digest information
1/dˈaɪd͡ʒɛst ˌɪnfɔɹmˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
Understand received information fully
To take time to understand information you have received.
Examples
- He needed a few minutes to digest the information before responding.
- Digesting all this information will take some time.
readers' digest
1/ɹˈidɚz dˈaɪd͡ʒɛst/
fixed phrase
Popular magazine of condensed writings
A well-known magazine with short versions of articles and stories.
Examples
- My grandmother has been subscribing to Readers' Digest for decades.
- Readers' Digest offers short, easy-to-read articles on many topics.