consumption

American  

[kuhn-suhmp-shuhn] / kənˈsʌmp ʃən /

noun

• consumptions
  plural

1. the act of consuming, as by use, decay, or destruction.

   Synonyms:

   utilization, exploitation, depletion

2. the amount consumed.

   the high consumption of gasoline.

3. Economics. the using up of goods and services having an exchangeable value.

4. Pathology.

   1. Older Use. tuberculosis of the lungs.

   2. progressive wasting of the body.

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consumption British  

/ kənˈsʌmpʃən /

noun

1. the act of consuming or the state of being consumed, esp by eating, burning, etc

2. economics expenditure on goods and services for final personal use

3. the quantity consumed

4. pathol a condition characterized by a wasting away of the tissues of the body, esp as seen in tuberculosis of the lungs

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonconsumption
  noun
• overconsumption
  noun
• preconsumption
  noun
• self-consumption
  noun
• underconsumption
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• consumptions
  plural

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

consumption consumptions

Well, look: The bottom line is, scientifically, people’s visual consumption is their No. 1 source of information consumption.

From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026

The majority of Anthropic’s revenue came from consumption of tokens, or the data processed by AI models to carry out tasks, while a smaller fraction came from subscription deals with customers.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

The world market for diesel is about 1.4 billion tonnes a year, meaning that the Russian deal would cover about 30 hours of global consumption.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

U.S. liquefied-natural gas accounts for 30% of European consumption, while Russian gas is imported either via LNG tankers or through the TurkStream pipelines supplying Hungary and Slovakia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

I pray to the Little Flower because she died of the consumption herself and she’d understand.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

Cutting meat consumptions — particularly red meat, particularly in high-income countries — represents an opportunity to lower methane emissions.

From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2024

Religious celebrations — what with sacred slaughters, a stress on all things kosher, ritualized consumptions — are a particular point of tension for Jews who eat vegan.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2021

Bullein claims "the best milk that helpeth against consumptions is woman's milk".

From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2016

Each individual has to pay for their own consumptions choices.

From Forbes ● Apr. 5, 2015

They have their colds, their coughs, their sick headaches, their indigestions, and their consumptions.

From The Young Woman's Guide by William A. (William Andrus) Alcott

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Related Words

• drinking
• expenditure
• utilization

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