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Definition of "assimilate" []

  • Physiology To consume and incorporate (nutrients) into the body after digestion. (verb-transitive)
  • Physiology To transform (food) into living tissue by the process of anabolism; metabolize constructively. (verb-transitive)
  • To incorporate and absorb into the mind: assimilate knowledge. (verb-transitive)
  • To make similar; cause to resemble. (verb-transitive)
  • Linguistics To alter (a sound) by assimilation. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "assimilate" in a sentence
  • "Your underline assertion, that Mexican immigrants don't want to 'assimilate' is highly questionable, however, depending on how you define 'assimilate'."
  • "Your underline assertion, that Mexican immigrants don't want to 'assimilate' is highly questionable, however, depending on how you define 'assimilate'."
  • "The desire to assimilate is very powerful, it is a variation on the need to conform to society."
  • "The desire to assimilate is very powerful, it is a variation on the need to conform to society."
  • "If people don't want to assimilate, that is their right, as long as they obey the laws of the country they live in."
  • "If people don't want to assimilate, that is their right, as long as they obey the laws of the country they live in."