assimilate
assimilate — verb
1. When people or groups from different backgrounds mix to the point where the smal
When people or groups from different backgrounds mix to the point where the smaller group takes on the customs, language, and way of life of the larger group, so that differences fade over time.
The Vietnamese refugees gradually assimilated into Canadian society over twenty years.
The school's programme helps new students assimilate by pairing them with local buddies.
new students assimilate
Layla felt pressure to assimilate at work, so she changed the way she dressed and spoke.
Immigrant families often assimilate while still keeping their native traditions alive at home.
The host country offered free language courses to help newcomers assimilate more quickly.
- integrate
more neutral; implies fitting in without necessarily losing one's original identity
- blend in
informal; focuses on outward appearance of fitting in
- acculturate
more formal; specifically about adopting another culture's traits
- segregate
to keep groups separate rather than letting them mix
文法句型
assimilate into a group/country/society
assimilate sb into a community
用法筆記
Often used in discussions of immigration and multiculturalism. The intransitive form (people assimilate into a society) is more common in everyday speech than the transitive form (a country assimilates people).
常見錯誤
2. to take new information, ideas, or skills into your mind so that you fully under
to take new information, ideas, or skills into your mind so that you fully understand them and can build on them in your own thinking or work.
The students need time to assimilate all the new vocabulary they learned in class today.
assimilate all the new vocabulary
Ricardo found it hard to assimilate the company's complex procedures during his first week.
Young children assimilate language naturally by listening and repeating what they hear.
The team assimilated the feedback from customers and redesigned the product within a month.
Gabriela assimilated data from fifty research papers before writing her thesis on climate change.
- reject
to refuse to accept an idea or piece of information
文法句型
assimilate information/knowledge/ideas
assimilate what sb hears/reads
用法筆記
Always transitive. The object is typically abstract (information, knowledge, ideas) rather than concrete. Often used with a time phrase such as 'need time to assimilate' or 'took a while to assimilate.'
常見錯誤
3. When a living thing takes in and breaks down food or other substances into a for
When a living thing takes in and breaks down food or other substances into a form that its body can use for energy, growth, or repair.
After surgery, Henry's digestive system could not properly assimilate solid food for several days.
could not properly assimilate solid food
Plants assimilate minerals from the soil through their root systems.
The body assimilates protein most effectively when it is eaten together with carbohydrates.
Some people cannot assimilate lactose because their intestines lack the necessary enzyme.
The doctor explained that the medicine would be assimilated into Theo's bloodstream within an hour.
- excrete
to expel waste that the body cannot use
文法句型
assimilate nutrients/food/protein
assimilate into the bloodstream
用法筆記
More common in scientific and medical writing than in everyday conversation. The simpler word 'absorb' is preferred in casual contexts. Both transitive and intransitive uses occur, but the passive construction (be assimilated) is frequent in technical descriptions.
常見錯誤
4. In phonetics, when a speech sound changes to become more like a sound that comes
In phonetics, when a speech sound changes to become more like a sound that comes before or after it, making the sequence easier to pronounce.
In rapid speech, the /n/ in 'input' often assimilates to the following /p/ sound.
assimilates to the following /p/ sound
The /d/ in 'good boy' can assimilate to /b/ in casual conversation.
When a final consonant assimilates to the next word's first sound, it is called connected speech.
Nala noticed the /t/ in 'light blue' changes to /p/ at natural speed.
The textbook explains how the /s/ in 'this shop' can assimilate to the /ʃ/ sound.
文法句型
assimilate to a sound
assimilate with a neighbouring sound
用法筆記
Restricted to phonetics and linguistics. Rarely encountered outside academic contexts. The verb is typically intransitive in this sense (a sound assimilates to another sound).
常見錯誤
assimilate — noun
1. A piece of information, an idea, or a substance that has been fully taken into a
A piece of information, an idea, or a substance that has been fully taken into a larger system or mind and made part of it.
Each cultural assimilate — from food to festivals — changed how the community saw itself.
cultural assimilate
The researcher measured how each dietary assimilate affected the subjects' energy levels.
In her thesis, Sofia treated each borrowed custom as a distinct assimilate within the larger culture.
The brain stores each new assimilate in networks that link it to related memories.
- absorbed element
more descriptive; avoids the technical tone of 'assimilate'
- incorporated item
more explicit about the process of being made part of a system
用法筆記
A rare noun use found mostly in academic writing, particularly in anthropology, biology, and linguistics. The plural 'assimilates' is uncommon; the singular form is preferred.