consume

verb

con·​sume kən-ˈsüm 

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

Synonyms

• devour
• eat (up)

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 United States is a leading consumer of beef with only Argentina and Zimbabwe consuming more per capita. —Julia Simon, NPR, 15 Sep. 2024

There might have been a few glasses consumed when the six-person band known as the True Loves started messing around with putting notes on paper for its latest hit. —Leslie Kelly, Forbes, 14 Sep. 2024

As of Friday, more than 38,000 acres of the San Bernardino Mountains had been consumed by the flames. —Sandhya Kambhampati, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2024

According to a Thursday note from Bank of America, 42% of young people consumed cannabis in 2023. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

consume

verb

con·​sume kən-ˈsüm 

consumed; consuming

1

: to destroy by or as if by fire

2

: use up, spend

the search consumed most of our time

3

: to eat or drink up

consumed too much ice cream

4

: to take up the interest or attention of

was consumed with curiosity

5

: to use as a customer

consume goods

consumable

-ˈsü-mə-bəl

adjective