consume

American  

[kuhn-soom] / kənˈsum /

verb (used with object)

consumed, consuming

1. to destroy or expend by use; use up.

   Synonyms:

   deplete, exhaust

2. to eat or drink up; devour.

3. to destroy, as by decomposition or burning.

   Fire consumed the forest.

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

   Synonyms:

   dissipate, squander

5. to absorb; engross.

   consumed with curiosity.

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verb (used without object)

consumed, consuming

1. to undergo destruction; waste away.

2. to use or use up consumer goods.

consume British  

/ kənˈsjuːm /

verb

1. (tr) to eat or drink

2. (tr; often passive) to engross or obsess

3. (tr) to use up; expend

   my car consumes little oil

4. to destroy or be destroyed by burning, decomposition, etc

   fire consumed the forest

5. (tr) to waste or squander

   the time consumed on that project was excessive

6. (passive) to waste away

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Other Word Forms

• consuming
  adjective
• consumingly
  adverb
• half-consumed
  adjective
• overconsume
  verb
• preconsume
  verb (used with object)
• unconsumed
  adjective
• underconsume
  verb (used with object)

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.

Example Sentences

Once the nomad larvae hatch, they kill the host bee larvae and consume the stored pollen and nectar intended for the mining bees.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2026

"That hand you get dealt can consume you or you can walk through a door where you can use it as a powerful message to the world," he said.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

They don’t really think about, ‘hey, how do I consume on a very predictable basis?’

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Unlike other large customers, new AI data centers can consume the same amount of electricity as an entire city, while guzzling power around the clock.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

We want to serve and to share, to labor and in turn consume that which is due to us.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

Related Words

• absorb
• deplete
• devour
• dominate
• drain
• eat up
• employ
• exhaust
• expend
• obsess
• preoccupy
• spend
• waste