CONSUME Synonyms: 141 Similar and Opposite Words

consume

verb

kən-ˈsüm

Definition of consume

as in to devour

to destroy all trace of massive fires had consumed hundreds of square miles of forest

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to spend

to make complete use of the mining company consumed all of the local mineral resources and then moved on

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to eat

to take in as food hungry enough to consume most of the pie

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of consume In Washington, even basic disaster protections are too often consumed by partisan gridlock. — Jaclyn De Medicci Bruneau, Sun Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026 Those symptoms can begin anywhere from six hours to six days after consuming the bacteria, the CDC says. — Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026 On the industry fight consuming the housing market, Liss positions KBB as neutral. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026 His central characters can be nasty, disgusting, violent, hysterically cruel, and passionately consumed. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for consume

Recent Examples of Synonyms for consume

Verb

Only weeks ago, the most destructive wildfire in Spanish history devoured 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in central Spain.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Only weeks ago, the most destructive wildfire in Spanish history devoured 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in Ávila, in central Spain.

— Suman Naishadham, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of devour

Verb

The sisters also make a point of scheduling many of their medical appointments together, turning long drives into an opportunity to spend time with one another.

— Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026
Establishing that sense of familiarity requires time spent playing and training together, something made more difficult by a constant carousel of new signings.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of spend

Verb

The barrage has caused fuel shortages in Russia, eaten into Russian refining capacity, and unsettled the Russian public.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
Then Green, his wife and Beloozerov spent the next several days planning their trip and eating meals Beloozerov paid for in cash pulled from a pouch around his neck stocked with $100, $50 and $2 bills.

— Isabelle Chapman, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of eat

Verb

Campione said her campaign was focused on protecting rural lands from being annexed into cities for rural subdivisions and stopping activities that could ruin water quality or override property rights.

— James Wilkins, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
But the mellow vibes are ruined when a goofy case of mistaken identity results in Frankie coming home with a briefcase containing several vials of a glowing orange goo.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of ruin

Verb

Your table is ready, the waiter said, and Rebecca drained her glass and stood.

— Emma Cline, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026
Most of the region’s sewers were engineered generations ago to drain well under 2 inches of rain per hour, and a cloudburst can deliver double that amount.

— Ravi S. Bhalla, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of drain

Verb

The only option to build the facility was to demolish the Trojans’ longtime baseball field and displace the program for multiple seasons.

— Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
What else might be demolished in Crown Center for the ballpark district remains unclear.

— Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of demolish

Verb

The ruling involves 16 men's basketball players who sued the NCAA in Cobb County Superior Court in July after exhausting four seasons of college eligibility.

— Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
Cinema has lately exhausted the emotional mileage of the Ukraine–EU border, but one wittily choreographed setpiece involving the couple’s border crossing finds in transition an ingenious point of convergence between gender and geography.

— Sonya Vseliubska, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of exhaust

Browse Nearby Words

consumable

consume

consumed

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Consume.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consume. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of consume

verb

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