Absorption indicates an active ongoing process in which something is taken up by something else by various physical actions: The absorption of spilled juice into a paper towel occurs by capillary action. Adsorption, in contrast, describes the holding or accumulation of something, such as a gas, a liquid, or a solute (a substance that has been dissolved in another substance), on the surface of a solid or liquid: The removal of dissolved gases from tap water is achieved by their adsorption onto a substance such as activated charcoal.
