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

Of course, rules to reduce nicotine in cigarettes would have no impact on nicotine in e-cigarettes, which have largely replaced combustible tobacco as one of the main ways young people now consume nicotine. —Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 15 Jan. 2025

And the reach of all these different channels combined is really critical because people are consuming their news in a lot of different ways, not just watching a linear broadcast but across social media and all these streaming channels. —Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2025

The relatively favorable costs for food consumed at home were primarily due to flat or falling prices for fruit, vegetables, dairy products, cereals, and bakery products. —George Avalos, The Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2025

However, given the high calories and fat in cheese, experts recommend consuming the dairy product in moderation. —Sarah Garone, Health, 15 Jan. 2025

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