Meaning: The towel soaked up the water from the person's body.
Choice of Words: Towel is a piece of cloth used for drying oneself. "Absorbed" means to soak up or take in a liquid.
Alternative Expressions
The towel soaked up the water.
Meaning: The towel absorbed the water, like a sponge would. The water went into the towel and made it wet.
Choice of Words: The word "soaked" means to absorb or take in liquid. "Up" means to move liquid from a lower place to a higher place. Together, "soaked up" means that the towel took in the water and moved it higher up.
The towel drank the water.
Meaning: The towel took in the water like someone would drink a glass of juice. The water went into the towel and made it wet.
Choice of Words: The word "drank" means to take in liquid through the mouth. Towels don't have mouths, but we can use this word to describe how the towel absorbed the water.
The towel dried the water.
Meaning: The towel made the water go away. The water was on a surface, and the towel took it away, leaving the surface dry.
Choice of Words: The word "dried" means to remove liquid from something. The towel removed the water from the surface it was on.