CONSUME Synonyms: 141 Similar and Opposite Words

consume

verb

kən-ˈsüm

Definition of consume

as in to devour

to destroy all trace of massive fires had consumed hundreds of square miles of forest

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to spend

to make complete use of the mining company consumed all of the local mineral resources and then moved on

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to eat

to take in as food hungry enough to consume most of the pie

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of consume Such growth is particularly important where populations are rising, as most food consumed is produced domestically. — Anna Nelson, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026 This is not only because of the speed at which images are consumed, but also because these visual forms carry long histories. — Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026 Large data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons of water per day, equivalent to the needs of a town of up to 50,000 residents, according to bipartisan nonprofit Environmental and Energy Study Institute. — Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026 But the agency didn’t call it a health and safety warning, which would have advised people not to consume the product. — Christopher Osher, ProPublica, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for consume

Recent Examples of Synonyms for consume

Verb

Any food or flesh that crossed their paths was quickly devoured.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Davis loved to read and collect books, devouring anything from John Updike and Margaret Atwood, among other authors, a passion that necessitated having bookshelves in every room of his home.

— Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of devour

Verb

According to public-records research by FOIAball, Rutgers spent $191,220 on fireworks and drone shows during the 2025 season.

— Manny Navarro, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
The jury spent a week deliberating in Plymouth Superior Court in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where supporters and onlookers gathered outside for days awaiting a possible verdict.

— James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of spend

Verb

There are few breaks other than to sleep, eat, hydrate or get his bike fixed.

— Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
The people who were gathered at tables around her, eating buffet tacos and sipping cans of Coke Zero, were first- and second-generation Americans getting ready to run for office or to work on political campaigns.

— Jesús Rodríguez, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of eat

Verb

As a young man, Francisco traversed it on horseback, eking out a living by draining resin from the towering pines.

— Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Management voluntarily closed the store until a three-compartment sink could be fixed to drain properly.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of drain

Verb

Historical records show that about 500,000 bricks were sold after the convent was demolished, but Langkilde said a complex of its size could easily have contained twice that number.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026
The new 191,000-square-foot police station replaces one that was built in 1958 and demolished earlier this year.

— Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of demolish

Verb

Lucie, having exhausted all other possibilities, and needing Darnay in order to find her father, hires a very reluctant Carton, who in a trick worthy of Perry Mason, gets him off when a witness cannot tell him and Darnay apart.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Last month, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the US military had exhausted nearly 80% of its interceptors for a key missile defense system.

— Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of exhaust

Verb

The team has eradicated every invasive casuarina pine, the Australian import whose needles poison the native plants beneath it, along with invasive sea grapes that chew up the dunes.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026
Screwworm had been considered eradicated from the US, Mexico and most of Central America decades ago.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of eradicate

Browse Nearby Words

consumable

consume

consumed

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Style

“Consume.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consume. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of consume

verb

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