consume

[ kuhn-soom ]

/ kənˈsum /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR consume ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), con·sumed, con·sum·ing.

to destroy or expend by use; use up.

to eat or drink up; devour.

to destroy, as by decomposition or burning: Fire consumed the forest.

to spend (money, time, etc.) wastefully.

to absorb; engross: consumed with curiosity.

verb (used without object), con·sumed, con·sum·ing.

to undergo destruction; waste away.

to use or use up consumer goods.

Nearby words

consulting room, consulting staff, consultor, consumable, consumables, consume, consumed, consumedly, consumer, consumer advocate, consumer credit

Origin of consume

1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French consumer) < Latin consūmere, equivalent to con- con- + sūmere to take up (perhaps < *suzm- < *subzm- < *subs-(e)m-, equivalent to subs-, variant of sub- sub- + emere to take, buy)

SYNONYMS FOR consume

1 exhaust, deplete.

4 squander, dissipate.

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Related forms

half-con·sumed, adjectiveo·ver·con·sume, verb, o·ver·con·sumed, o·ver·con·sum·ing.pre·con·sume, verb (used with object), pre·con·sumed, pre·con·sum·ing.un·con·sumed, adjective

un·der·con·sume, verb (used with object), un·der·con·sumed, un·der·con·sum·ing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for consume

And as technology adapts to reflect the ways we consume media, so too is the family adapting to technology.
Binge Watching is the New Bonding Time|The Daily Beast|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is just the way we consume TV now: our favorite shows, whenever we want them, wherever we want them.
New Innovations Let You Watch TV Anywhere You Go||December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You consume a nutritionally unbalanced diet because of concerns about “food purity.”
Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Becomes an Obsession|DailyBurn|October 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This means supplying proteins and fats because our bodies tend to need to eat less frequently when we consume them.
‘Good Poop’ Diet Is the Next Big Thing|Daniela Drake|October 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

She is equally desirous of Levine, as animalistic and eager to consume him while sticky with sanguine fluid.
Sex, Blood and Maroon 5: Pop Culture’s Wounds Run Deep|Lizzie Crocker|October 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Between those who produce the means of life, and those who consume them.
The Crown of Wild Olive|John Ruskin
He then treated the second bird in the same manner, and assisted his lady-love to consume it, as well as the remainder of the oil.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
In the towns or villages where they stop, they begin by requisitioning food and drink, which they consume till intoxicated.
The Great War and How It Arose|Anonymous
Nor has he a moral right to consume on himself the whole even of his profits.
August Comte and Positivism|John-Stuart Mill
Though not precisely students, they yet consume the midnight oil—chiefly as a beverage.
Punchinello, Vol. 2, No. 36, December 3, 1870|Various

British Dictionary definitions for consume

consume

/ (kənˈsjuːm) /

verb

(tr) to eat or drink

(tr; often passive) to engross or obsess

(tr) to use up; expendmy car consumes little oil

to destroy or be destroyed by burning, decomposition, etcfire consumed the forest

(tr) to waste or squanderthe time consumed on that project was excessive

(passive) to waste away

Derived Formsconsuming, adjectiveconsumingly, adverb

Word Origin for consume

C14: from Latin consūmere to devour, from com- (intensive) + sūmere to take up, from emere to take, purchase

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for consume

consume

late 14c., from Old French consumer "to consume" (12c.) and directly from Latin consumere "to use up, eat, waste," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + sumere "to take," from sub- "under" + emere "to buy, take" (see exempt (adj.)).

consume

verb (used with object), con·sumed, con·sum·ing.

verb (used without object), con·sumed, con·sum·ing.

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Origin of consume

Examples from the Web for consume

British Dictionary definitions for consume

consume

verb

Word Origin for consume

Word Origin and History for consume

consume