consumption
Americannoun
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the act of consuming, as by use, decay, or destruction.
- Synonyms:
- utilization, exploitation, depletion
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the amount consumed.
the high consumption of gasoline.
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Economics. the using up of goods and services having an exchangeable value.
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Pathology.
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Older Use. tuberculosis of the lungs.
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progressive wasting of the body.
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noun
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the act of consuming or the state of being consumed, esp by eating, burning, etc
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economics expenditure on goods and services for final personal use
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the quantity consumed
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pathol a condition characterized by a wasting away of the tissues of the body, esp as seen in tuberculosis of the lungs
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of consumption
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English consumpcyon, from Middle French, from Latin consūmptiōn-, stem of consūmptiō “employment, use, waste,” from consūmpt(us) “used up” (past participle of consūmere “to use up, waste”; see consume) + -iō -ion
Explanation
Consumption means using, buying or eating something. If we don't reduce our energy consumption, we will run out of fuel. Conspicuous consumption is buying something to show off. Consumption is related to the verb consume, which means to eat, use, or buy. You will often read about consumption in terms of rate––how fast we are using up a particular resource. If you consume ten cookies in an hour, your rate of consumption is ten cookies an hour. Sustainable? Let's hope not.
Vocabulary lists containing consumption
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Natural Resources and the Environment - Introductory
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My Brother Sam is Dead
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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.
The fresh inflation data comes from the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index, or headline PCE, which is maintained and released by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.
From Salon • Jun. 1, 2026
Americans are struggling with rising prices, which rose 3.8% in April, as measured by the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index, or PCE, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
Consumption has rarely depended this much on faith in one hot sector, and vice versa.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Consumption is climbing because AI data centers are the fastest-growing source of new electricity demand in America.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
For he guessed that the scourge of civilization, Consumption, had marked her for a victim.
From The Man with the Double Heart by Hine, Muriel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
