consume

verb

con·​sume kən-ˈsüm 

consumed; consuming

transitive verb

1

: to do away with completely : destroy

Fire consumed several buildings.

2

a

: to spend wastefully : squander

consumed his inheritance on luxuries

b

: use up

Writing consumed much of his time.

3

a

: to eat or drink especially in great quantity

consumed several bags of pretzels

b

: 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

Synonyms of consume

• devour
• eat (up)
• ruin
• demolish
• drain
• eradicate

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 on the Web

During these periods, traditionally no meat or dairy is consumed. —Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2026

Barco notes that Lightsteering redistributes existing light instead of demand- ing more, enhancing contrast and brightness without consuming more energy (and adding to energy bills). —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 9 Apr. 2026

Emperor penguins mainly consume fish, squid and crustaceans in Antarctic waters. —ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026

What starts as a spectral curiosity becomes a terrifying and growing presence with an insatiable hunger that begins to consume her life. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French consumer, from Latin consumere, from com- + sumere to take up, take, from sub- up + emere to take — more at sub-, redeem

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for consume

• assume
• backroom
• ballroom
• barroom
• bathroom
• bedroom
• boardroom
• bridegroom
• classroom
• cloakroom
• costume
• courtroom

Kids Definition

consume

verb

con·​sume kən-ˈsüm 

consumed; consuming

1

: to destroy by or as if by fire

2

: use up, spend

the search consumed most of our time

3

: to eat or drink up

consumed too much ice cream

4

: to take up the interest or attention of

was consumed with curiosity

5

: to use as a customer

consume goods

consumable

-ˈsü-mə-bəl

adjective