engross vs soak up

engross and soak up both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
engross	No	No	Yes	No
soak up	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, engross and soak up are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of engross include absorb, engulf, immerse, plunge, steep.

engross (verb)	soak up (verb)
consume all of one's attention or time	devote (oneself) fully to
devote (oneself) fully to	take in, also metaphorically