Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - uptake

1. A person’s uptake of something is the amount of it that they use. (TECHNICAL) The drug increases the number of red cells in the blood, enhancing oxygen uptake by 10 percent. ...research in relation to the uptake of nitrate into vegetables. N-SING: usu with supp 2. You say that someone is quick on the uptake when they understand things quickly. You say that someone is slow on the uptake when they have difficulty understanding simple or obvious things. She is not an intellectual, but is quick on the uptake... Carol was absent-minded and a little slow on the uptake. PHRASE: v-link PHR