consume

verb con·sume \ kən-ˈsüm \

Updated on: 9 May 2018

Definition of consume

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

See consume defined for English-language learners

See consume defined for kids

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

The fire spread, surrounding Ventura and consuming hospitals and apartment buildings on the outskirts of town.

— author: david gelles, Anchorage Daily News, "Patagonia v. Trump: Inside a battle over public lands," 6 May 2018
There seemed to be no correlation between infertility and the amount of leafy vegetables and fish a woman consumed.

— josh magness, miamiherald, "Put down that burger and fries if you want to have a baby, new study suggests | Miami Herald," 5 May 2018
The explosion in the barn behind the house at 385 Quinnipiac Ave. triggered a fire that consumed both the barn and the house, and a body was found inside the barn.

— gregory b. hladky, courant.com, "Last Officer Injured By North Haven Blast Now Home," 5 May 2018
Reggie begins by sharing the daily microaggressions that consume his life.

— rebecca farley, refinery29.com, "Dear White People Season 2 Binge Club: Episodes 1 - 3 Recaps," 4 May 2018
Thousands attended the Cannabis Cup, California's first ever legal festival to buy and consume marijuana, weed, pot and edibles at Cal Expo in Sacramento on May 4, 2018.

— barbara harvey, sacbee, "Thousands toke and buy weed as Sacramento hosts first legal marijuana fest in California | The Sacramento Bee," 4 May 2018
Other drugs that shouldn’t be consumed after their use-by date include liquid antibiotics, which aren’t as stable as their pill counterparts, and some injectables.

— anthea levi, Health.com, "Is It Ever Safe to Take Expired Medication?," 4 May 2018
McCall explains that the mint julep eventually worked its way into the culture of horse racing, and now over 140,000 mint juleps are consumed over Derby weekend.

— matthew libassi, Fox News, "Kentucky Derby guests can sip this $1,000 mint julep for a good cause," 4 May 2018
Ince has rejected the claim that he was photographed consuming alcohol on Turkey’s Aegean coast during Ramadan -- a taboo in an overwhelmingly Muslim nation.

— firat kozok, Bloomberg.com, "Combative Turkish Secularist Picked to Lead Challenge to Erdogan," 4 May 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.

Origin and Etymology of consume

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year