assimilate
gb/əsˈɪməlˌeɪt/ us/əsˈɪməlˌeɪt/
B2
Anglais
Sens
0 sens
Verbe
B2
action
1
take in and understand information
To learn something and understand it well.
Schéma d’usage :
assimilate [information/ideas/knowledge]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners often use it as a simple synonym of learn; it usually implies understanding and making the information part of your thinking.
Synonymes
absorb (More general; can suggest taking something in without effort.)
|
take in (More informal and often less complete than assimilate.)
|
digest (Emphasizes thinking something through carefully.)
Antonymes
misunderstand (The information is taken in incorrectly.)
|
miss (The information is not noticed or not learned.)
Collocations
assimilate information
|assimilate facts
|assimilate ideas
|assimilate knowledge
|assimilate what you read
|assimilate new material
|assimilate instructions
|assimilate a concept
|assimilate a lesson
|assimilate the theory
Thèmes
education
|thinking
|communication
Exemples
- It took me a while to assimilate all the information from the training session.
- She reads quickly, but she needs time to assimilate new ideas.
- Try to pause and reflect so you can assimilate what you’ve just learned.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I need time to assimilate this information.
- He assimilated the rules very fast.
Verbe
technical
C1
action
2
digest and absorb nutrients
To use nutrients from food in the body.
Schéma d’usage :
assimilate [food/nutrients]
Erreur fréquente :
This meaning is about the body; it is less common in everyday conversation than the ‘understand information’ meaning.
Synonymes
absorb (More general physical intake; does not necessarily imply digestion.)
|
digest (Focuses on breaking food down; assimilate focuses on taking it into the body.)
Antonymes
excrete (To pass material out of the body rather than take it in.)
|
reject (To fail to accept or use something taken into the body (e.g., in medicine).)
Collocations
assimilate nutrients
|assimilate food
|assimilate vitamins
|assimilate minerals
|assimilate glucose
|assimilate protein
|easily assimilated
|poorly assimilated
Thèmes
health
|biology
Exemples
- Some people cannot assimilate lactose properly.
- The supplement is designed to be easily assimilated by the body.
- Illness can reduce the body’s ability to assimilate nutrients.
Exemples pédagogiques
- My body cannot assimilate this food well.
Verbe
C1
action
3
become part of a culture
To become similar to the people around you and fit in.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] assimilates (into [society/culture/group])
Erreur fréquente :
Often used with into; assimilate can be sensitive in topics of identity because it may imply losing one’s original culture.
Synonymes
integrate (Often more positive; does not necessarily imply losing identity.)
|
adapt (More general adjustment without implying becoming the same.)
|
acculturate (More academic term for adopting another culture.)
Antonymes
remain separate (To keep distinct from the larger group.)
|
segregate (To be separated (often by policy or social forces) rather than mix.)
Collocations
assimilate into society
|assimilate into the culture
|assimilate into the community
|assimilate quickly
|assimilate fully
|assimilate well
|assimilate over time
|pressure to assimilate
Thèmes
society
|culture
|migration
Exemples
- Many newcomers assimilate quickly once they find work and friends.
- He never fully assimilated into the local culture.
- The school helps international students assimilate by pairing them with mentors.
Exemples pédagogiques
- She assimilated into the new community.
Verbe
formal
C1
action
4
make a group fit in
To make people change so they fit in with a larger group.
Schéma d’usage :
assimilate [someone/a group] (into [society/culture])
Erreur fréquente :
Because it can imply coercion, it may sound negative in discussions of minorities, immigrants, and indigenous peoples.
Synonymes
integrate (Usually less forceful and more neutral.)
|
absorb (Suggests the larger society takes the group in, sometimes without their choice.)
Antonymes
exclude (To keep people out rather than incorporate them.)
|
marginalize (To push a group to the edges of society rather than bring them in.)
Collocations
assimilate immigrants
|assimilate minorities
|forced to assimilate
|policy to assimilate
|attempt to assimilate
|pressure to assimilate
|assimilate a population
Thèmes
society
|politics
|history
Exemples
- The government tried to assimilate indigenous children through boarding schools.
- Critics argued that the program aimed to assimilate immigrants rather than support multiculturalism.
- The company’s culture can assimilate new hires quickly.
Exemples pédagogiques
- They tried to assimilate the new students into the school.
Verbe
business
C1
action
5
absorb something into a whole
To combine something into a bigger system.
Schéma d’usage :
assimilate [something] (into [something])
Erreur fréquente :
In business contexts, it often means ‘integrate after a change’ (e.g., after a merger), not simply ‘add’.
Synonymes
incorporate (More neutral; focuses on making something part of a whole.)
|
integrate (Emphasizes making parts work together smoothly.)
|
absorb (Often used when the larger entity stays dominant.)
Antonymes
separate (To keep parts apart instead of merging them.)
|
divest (To remove or sell off something rather than take it in.)
Collocations
assimilate an acquisition
|assimilate a merger
|assimilate new staff
|assimilate new technology
|assimilate a process
|assimilate changes
|assimilate a department
|quickly assimilate
Thèmes
business
|organizations
Exemples
- It took months to assimilate the smaller company into the parent organization.
- The team struggled to assimilate the new software into existing workflows.
- After the reorganization, the department had to assimilate several new responsibilities.
Exemples pédagogiques
- We need time to assimilate the new system.
Verbe
technical
C2
event
6
sounds become more alike
In language, one sound changes to match a nearby sound.
Schéma d’usage :
[a sound] assimilates (to [another sound])
Erreur fréquente :
This is a specialized linguistics meaning; it is not about ‘fitting into society’.
Synonymes
become similar (Plain-language paraphrase; less precise than the linguistic term.)
Antonymes
dissimilation (A sound becomes less similar to a nearby sound.)
Collocations
assimilate to a neighboring sound
|consonant assimilates
|nasal assimilates
|regressive assimilation
|progressive assimilation
|partially assimilate
|fully assimilate
Thèmes
language
|linguistics
Exemples
- In rapid speech, the /n/ can assimilate to the following consonant.
- The professor explained how sounds assimilate when they occur next to each other.
- In this dialect, /t/ often assimilates to /k/ before a velar sound.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
assimilate
API
GB/əsˈɪməlˌeɪt/
US/əsˈɪməlˌeɪt/
Syllabes et accentuation
as - sim - il - ate (4 syllabes)
Stress on 2nd syllable (sim)
Formes du mot
Verb
- Base: assimilate
- 3rd Person Singular: assimilates
- Present Participle: assimilating
- Past: assimilated
Famille de mots
Forms
assimilates
verb
assimilating
verb
assimilated
verb
Core family
assimilation
noun C1
Advanced or less common
assimilative
adjective
assimilationist
noun
Expressions
Aucune expression n’est encore associée à cette entrée.