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

Surprising Fact On a body weight basis, children 2 to 5 years old consume about twice as much of the red dye through food as the general population, according to the FDA. —Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024

How to Manage: To manage a lack of sleep from alcohol, either eliminate it from your diet or consume moderately during the day, making sure to stop imbibing well before your bedtime. —Taylor Lane, Flow Space, 16 Dec. 2024

Liquor is often added to that base, and it's usually consumed around the holidays, not as a year-round beverage. —Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024

In the new version of the lawsuit, the 13-year-old became disoriented and found a bedroom to rest in after allegedly consuming one drink. —Janelle Ash, Fox News, 14 Dec. 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