consume
Americanverb (used with object)
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consumes,
present (3rd person singular)
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consumed,
past participle, past
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consuming
present participle
verb (used without object)
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consumes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
consumed,
past participle, past
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consuming
present participle
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to undergo destruction; waste away.
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to use or use up consumer goods.
verb
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(tr) to eat or drink
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(tr; often passive) to engross or obsess
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(tr) to use up; expend
my car consumes little oil
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to destroy or be destroyed by burning, decomposition, etc
fire consumed the forest
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(tr) to waste or squander
the time consumed on that project was excessive
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(passive) to waste away
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overconsumeverb
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preconsumeverb (used with object)
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underconsumeverb (used with object)
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consumingadjective
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half-consumedadjective
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unconsumedadjective
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consuminglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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consumesimple
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consumessimple
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have consumedperfect
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has consumedperfect
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am consumingprogressive
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are consumingprogressive
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is consumingprogressive
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have been consumingperfect progressive
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has been consumingperfect progressive
Past
-
consumedsimple
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had consumedperfect
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was consumingprogressive
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were consumingprogressive
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had been consumingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of consume
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French consumer, from Latin consūmere, from con- con- + sūmere “to take up” (equivalent to subs-, variant of sub- sub- + emere “to take, buy”; cf. emptor ( def. ))
Explanation
"The Freshman 15" describes freshman-year college students who gain about fifteen pounds because they consume way too much lousy dorm food all day long. To consume a cake is to eat it, the idea being that you ate the whole thing. To say a fire consumed a building is to say that the entire building was destroyed. Consume means to devour, to take in, to use up. The Unites States is often referred to as a consumer society because our economy is based on things being consumed. Whether it's gas, clothes, burgers, music, or anything that we use up as we purchase it, it's something that we consume. If we consume all the oil, there will be none left to burn.
Vocabulary lists containing consume
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act II
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Eating while distracted, for instance watching TV, can lead people to consume more because they pay less attention to how much they've eaten," says Higgs.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
"The story and the scale and the spectacle is something that the world, I think, is ready to consume."
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
This extra capability could enable devices that operate faster, withstand interference more effectively, and consume substantially less electricity.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
So there’s no need for the rich to go into debt in order to consume.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
In advanced stages of famine, as the body begins to consume itself, the victim suffers muscle pain, heart disturbances, loss of hair, dizziness, shortness of breath, extreme sensitivity to cold, physical and mental exhaustion.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
The U.S. itself consumes about 2.94 million barrels of diesel a day, so the entirety of the Russian deal would provide the U.S. with perhaps 12 days of diesel supply.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Spending another 15 minutes searching for a particular brand of yogurt may represent good service, but it also consumes time that a worker could otherwise spend completing another order.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
The United States consumes 3.9 million barrels of diesel a day, whereas the accord with Moscow initially concerns 2.22 million barrels total -- barely enough for half a day of US consumption.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
When a black hole actively consumes gas, it can release tremendous amounts of energy and heat nearby material.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
A terrible anger consumes me, virulent as a sickness.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas estimates the blazes consumed more than 1.9 million hectares of land in the first nine months of the year.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
He explained that officers' time was being consumed "investigating trivial matters".
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Consequentially, the two biggest legal challenges that consumed the days leading up to the midterms have effectively been shut down.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026
Participants followed this eating plan for eight weeks, while a comparison group consumed a similar diet in which the fruits were replaced with carbohydrate-based foods containing equivalent calories.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
Many objects exist to be exchanged and consumed: sacks of grain, for example, are turned into bread.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
This means the body's response to eating a whole dairy food may differ from its response to consuming an equivalent amount of saturated fat on its own.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
During his rookie season in 2020, the Chargers quarterback told GQ magazine he was “living off” the sandwiches, consuming both a Steak Philly sub and a Chicken & Bacon Ranch sub each night for dinner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
People may be consuming more healthcare, such as expensive weight-loss drugs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
Covered in sharp, toxin-filled spines, these predators are notorious for consuming coral and leaving widespread destruction in their wake.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
He glanced toward the kitchen, which the flames were consuming with glee, and headed across the living room toward Angel’s bedroom.
From "Forged by Fire" by Sharon M. Draper
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
