Definition of consume
consumed
;consuming
transitive verb
1 : to do away with completely : destroy Fire consumed several buildings.
2a : to spend wastefully : squander consumed his inheritance on luxuriesb : use up Wwriting consumed much of his time.
3a : to eat or drink especially in great quantity consumed several bags of pretzelsb : to enjoy avidly : devour … mysteries, which she consumes for fun … — Eden Ross Lipson
4 : to engage fully : engross consumed with curiosity
5 : to utilize as a customer consume goods and services
intransitive verb
1 : to waste or burn away : perish
2 : to utilize economic goods
People Are Reading
Examples of consume in a Sentence
The new lights consume less electricity.
She's making an effort to live more simply and consume less.
Hundreds of books were consumed in the fire.
Recent Examples of consume from the Web
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Like when pharmaceutical companies have used its data to spin their dangerous painkillers as safe, and the resulting overprescription fueled an opioid epidemic now consuming the country?
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But by her second month, the blisters were spreading like a rash, consuming nearly her entire body.
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The Pentagon has already consumed $828 billion on the war, and taxpayers will be liable for trillions more in veterans’ health-care costs for decades to come.
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Last, Dan said, there is a fungus called Massospora cicadina that consumes the abdomens of cicadas.
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For them, the bee is an all-consuming, year-round pursuit.
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The device has a lower false-alarm rate than current X-ray systems, which decreases the need for time-consuming, hand searches of bags, the company said.
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Globally, 12 billion pounds of coffee are consumed each year.)
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That this obsession hasn't consumed Cooper is a testament to her mettle, sharpened over 22 years of brutal, self-effacing critiques while walking a mental tight rope during her prolific career.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'consume'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
CONSUME Defined for English Language Learners
consume
playDefinition of consume for English Language Learners
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: to eat or drink (something)
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: to use (fuel, time, resources, etc.)
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: to destroy (something) with fire
CONSUME Defined for Kids
consume
playDefinition of consume for Students
consumed
;consuming
1 : to destroy by or as if by fire
2 : to eat or drink up
3 : to use up consume electricity Our entire day was consumed searching for his glasses.
4 : to take up the interest or attention of Curiosity consumed the crowd.
Learn More about consume
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See words that rhyme with consume Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for consume Spanish Central: Translation of consume Nglish: Translation of consume for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of consume for Arabic speakers
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