consume

verb

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

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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

Located almost exactly in the middle of the peninsula that makes up most of Saudi Arabia, Qassim is redolent with the palms that produce dates consumed all over the country and the world. — Rafia Zakaria, The New Republic, "Driving Toward Change," 23 June 2018 The amount of food consumed at the Derby is pretty astounding. — Logan Sykes, Town & Country, "23 Kentucky Derby Facts That Will Surprise You," 26 Mar. 2019 The platforms have their part to play in reducing the polarization that now consumes us. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "How platforms are driving users to misinformation about mail bombs," 27 Oct. 2018 That ramp-up is now largely over, so Tesla is generating cash, not consuming it. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Why almost everyone was wrong about Tesla’s cash flow situation," 26 Oct. 2018 With a Supreme Court pick looming, ongoing conversations about America's relationship with North Korea and the outcome of the NATO summit, there's more news to report than there is time for readers to consume it. — Eugene Scott, Washington Post, "Why racially charged tweets by the wife of Bill Shine likely won’t matter much," 9 July 2018 Zay introduces new stylistic tics, mostly referencing the flashy energy of early-2000s ATL rap into his beats, and Future consumes them effortlessly and adjusts on the fly. — Will Schube, Billboard, "Zaytoven and Future Are Just Like Bruddas on 'Beast Mode 2'," 9 July 2018 But to a rare degree for any artist, his reputation and perhaps his raison d’être rest on a singular achievement: the film that consumed him for 12 years in his middle age. — Daniel Lewis, BostonGlobe.com, "Claude Lanzmann, chronicled the Holocaust in epic ‘Shoah’, dies at 92," 6 July 2018 But to a rare degree for any artist, Mr. Lanzmann’s reputation and perhaps his raison d’être rest on a singular achievement: the film that consumed him for 12 years in his middle age. — Daniel Lewis, New York Times, "Claude Lanzmann, Epic Chronicler of the Holocaust, Dies at 92," 5 July 2018

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.