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consume

verb

kən-ˈsüm How to pronounce consume (audio)
Definition of consumenext
1
as in to devour
to destroy all trace of massive fires had consumed hundreds of square miles of forest

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
3
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 The manufacturer of NarcX+ states that medications become irretrievable in less than two hours, and consuming any of the NarcX+ liquid will cause vomiting. — Sunny Linnebur, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026 Minhaj’s wife danced competitively, and Venkataramanujam performed with an a cappella team called Chai Town, giving him firsthand knowledge of how consuming the competition circuit can become. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026 Football players are some of the biggest fans, with NFL teams consuming at least 80,000 sandwiches a year. — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026 Too hot, and metabolism spikes, consumes oxygen and opens the door to disease. — Nilton Bernini, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for consume
Recent Examples of Synonyms for consume
  1. devour
  2. spend
  3. eat
  4. ruin
  5. drain
  6. demolish
  7. exhaust
  8. eradicate
Verb
  • Joscha Bach of the California Institute for Machine Consciousness, another AGI pioneer, says a truly intelligent system should not need to devour the entire Internet and consume vast amounts of computing power for even the simplest query.
    — George Musser, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Soon Drews noticed the speed with which her cheesecakes were devoured.
    — David Farley, Bon Appetit Magazine, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of devour
Verb
  • Minnesota Secretary of State Scott Simon, a Democrat, said in August that his office expects to spend roughly $250,000 on private vendors to conduct penetration testing, which can expose security vulnerabilities and recommend actionable fixes.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
  • As part of the arrangement, the elder Ryan agreed to cover the lion’s share of the differences in building a new stadium, originally priced at $830 million, from the $300 million the university planned to spend on renovating the older one.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of spend
Verb
  • To afford the next trip, 52% said eating out less would be worth it, while 40% were willing to cut back on haircuts.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Being in the moment goes a long way Chang has had the luxury of eating in the world’s greatest restaurants.
    — Marnie Hunter, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of eat
Verb
  • Before the attack, millions of books a year were printed in this space, where there’s now nothing but piles of swollen book stock, ruined after firefighters put out the blaze.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • But Timothy Leary’s version became the dominant idea of psychedelics, and when President Ronald Reagan’s War on Drugs began, psychedelics were vilified as the gateway to ruin.
    — Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of ruin
Verb
  • Detectives drained three dams, searched six mineshafts and sent up drones with specialized cameras to take detailed imagery, later analyzed with artificial intelligence.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The book leans on research about decision fatigue—the idea that even trivial choices drain the mental capacity available for harder ones—to argue that the sheer volume of daily inputs, not just their content, has a cost.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of drain
Verb
  • The block that houses Monarch Donuts will soon be demolished as construction starts on a new retail and residential development called the Arcadia Town Center.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Some are also concerned that the president's proposal for the arch, along with other projects like the ballroom and threats to demolish the Kennedy Center, could significantly alter Washington's landscape.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of demolish
Verb
  • The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have become grinding contests over which side can exhaust the other’s military capacity, economic resources, and political will.
    — NADIA SCHADLOW, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2026
  • This change responds to the numerous college athlete-plaintiffs who have exhausted their NCAA eligibility, but who seek to continue playing or return to competition.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of exhaust
Verb
  • Community meetings focus on eradicating the homeless and protecting property values rather than supporting neighbors or providing shelter.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Back then, researchers were focused on eradicating the New World screwworm, a nasty pest that lays its eggs in wounds on living creatures.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of eradicate

Browse Nearby Words

consumable
consume
consumed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Consume.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consume. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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