assimilate

/əˌsɪməˈleɪt/

/æˈsɪmɪleɪt/

Other forms: assimilated; assimilating; assimilates

If you are trying to fit in, you are trying to assimilate.

Imported from Latin, assimilate has the word similar within it and in fact, means "to become like something else." If someone moves to another country, he or she will need to assimilate by adapting to and taking in the language, culture and customs of the new place. You can also turn the phrase around to say that a country assimilates immigrants, which means that a place accepts immigrants and allows them to adapt easily. In scientific use, the body assimilates nutrients as a part of digestion.

Definitions of assimilate

1. verb

   make similar
   “This country assimilates immigrants very quickly”

   antonyms:

   dissimilate

   make dissimilar; cause to become less similar

   type of:

   alter, change, modify

   cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
2. verb

   become similar to one's environment
   “Immigrants often want to assimilate quickly”

   antonyms:

   dissimilate

   become dissimilar or less similar

   types:

   acculturate

   assimilate culturally

   detribalise, detribalize

   cause members of a tribe to lose their cultural identity

   type of:

   adapt, adjust, conform

   adapt or conform oneself to new or different conditions
3. verb

   become similar in sound
   “The nasal assimilates to the following consonant”

   antonyms:

   dissimilate

   become dissimilar by changing the sound qualities

   type of:

   change

   undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
4. verb

   take up mentally
   synonyms: absorb, ingest, take in

   types:

   imbibe

   receive into the mind and retain

   type of:

   acquire, larn, learn

   gain knowledge or skills
5. verb

   take (gas, light or heat) into a solution
   synonyms: imbibe

   type of:

   absorb

   become imbued