consumption
Americannoun
-
the act of consuming, as by use, decay, or destruction.
- Synonyms:
- utilization, exploitation, depletion
-
the amount consumed.
the high consumption of gasoline.
-
Economics. the using up of goods and services having an exchangeable value.
-
Pathology.
-
Older Use. tuberculosis of the lungs.
-
progressive wasting of the body.
-
noun
-
the act of consuming or the state of being consumed, esp by eating, burning, etc
-
economics expenditure on goods and services for final personal use
-
the quantity consumed
-
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
- nonconsumption noun
- overconsumption noun
- preconsumption noun
- self-consumption noun
- underconsumption noun
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”; consume ) + -iō -ion
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.
Structural limits also apply, as production cannot immediately be redirected to domestic consumption.
From Barron's
Americans over 75 are the fastest-growing age group, he noted, and “in 2025, healthcare spending was the largest single contributor to consumption growth.”
From Barron's
Americans over 75 are the fastest-growing age group, he noted, and “in 2025, healthcare spending was the largest single contributor to consumption growth.”
From Barron's
In the absence of a fresh census, it has relied on sample surveys - from consumption expenditure to labour force data - with the statistics ministry working to keep them broadly representative.
From BBC
Eliza Winger, a US economist with Bloomberg, said that an increase in fuel prices does not just hit people at the pump, it also reduces their overall consumption -- with possible knock-on effects for the economy.
From Barron's
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.
