consume

verb

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con·sume | \ kən-ˈsüm

consumed; consuming

Definition of consume

transitive verb

1 : to do away with completely : destroy Fire consumed several buildings.

2a : to spend wastefully : squander consumed his inheritance on luxuries

b : use up Writing consumed much of his time.

3a : 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 More Example Sentences Learn More About consume

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 The way enterprises consume services is also evolving. — Ido Susan, Forbes, 6 May 2022 That includes the food and water that cows and pigs consume, fuel burned in trucking the animals and animal products to farms and warehouses, and energy consumed by operating the barns and running milking machines. — Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2022 Plan to cut out the middle creature and consume plants directly. — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 22 Mar. 2022 The way these fans consume music has shifted and has opened new ways to approach this audience. — Paul Herrera, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2022 That can take months or years and consume staff time, rather than quickly publishing an item in the Internal Revenue Bulletin with immediate effect. — Richard Rubin, WSJ, 13 Mar. 2022 Their performance to the side of the orchestra had a simple but calligraphic grace, sometimes evoking the beauty of the natural world, other times embodying the flames that consume the one below. — Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2022 Others, like its insurance businesses, which invest in companies that may produce and consume fossil fuels, provide very few details about their impact on the planet. — New York Times, 25 Apr. 2022 Located at stages throughout the festival, these dispensaries will join the event’s Tree House area, where attendees have been able to legally purchase and consume cannabis products since 2019. — Katie Bain, Billboard, 20 Apr. 2022 See More

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.