consume

American  

[kuhn-soom] / kənˈsum /

verb (used with object)

• consumes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• consumed,
  past participle,  past
• consuming
  present participle

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)

• consumes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• consumed,
  past participle,  past
• consuming
  present participle

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

• consuming
  present
• consumed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• consume
  simple
• consumes
  simple
• have consumed
  perfect
• has consumed
  perfect
• am consuming
  progressive
• are consuming
  progressive
• is consuming
  progressive
• have been consuming
  perfect progressive
• has been consuming
  perfect progressive

Past

• consumed
  simple
• had consumed
  perfect
• was consuming
  progressive
• were consuming
  progressive
• had been consuming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will consume
  simple
• will have consumed
  perfect
• will be consuming
  progressive
• will have been consuming
  perfect progressive

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

See Examples For:

consume consumes consumed consuming

Before testing the first atom bomb, the Los Alamos crew asked Hans Bethe to confirm with math that it wouldn’t start a chain reaction and consume the atmosphere.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

But the way people consume media has changed—some now wait until an entire series is released to binge it at once.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

These gas-rich environments trap radiation and allow the black holes to consume material much more efficiently than black holes can in the modern Universe.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

Zambians have been urged not to consume, sell, distribute or handle meat from animals that have died suddenly or from suspected anthrax.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

But his work with the NSA in the mid-1950s brought his concerns to the fore, and the ethics of secrecy started to consume him.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

In the United States, that hidden water use can be twice the amount a data center consumes on its own.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

To deal with the water shortages along the Colorado River, others have suggested policies that encourage farmers to grow less hay — which consumes nearly half of the water diverted from the river.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

She consumes about 3,500 calories every day to ensure she has enough energy.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Rent now consumes 40% of Roe’s $83,000 gross income, roughly the median household income in the U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

Humans and monkeys are both primates, and Ebola feeds on primates in the same way that a predator consumes certain kinds of flesh.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

The maneuver was completed with more than 99% accuracy and consumed less than 10% of the fuel reserved for it.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

China’s car industry has consumed market share from traditional automakers around the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Currently the water consumed by existing data centres is relatively low.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Among the men studied, those who consumed the most whole milk had a risk of death from prostate cancer by as much as 50% higher than those who consumed the least amount.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

I had ordered my favorite, a BLT, while Carl consumed a cold-cuts combo with hot peppers and onions.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings

Another large-scale outbreak was reported in 2011, with more than 500 cases, when five people died after consuming meat from infected hippos.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

“You see a lot of people consuming the minimum, what they need to get by through the week,” said owner Carina Murillo, 31, as she checked out customers on a recent weekday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

One group followed a time-restricted eating schedule, consuming food only between noon and 8 p.m. without counting calories.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

Analysts say the group's Chinese patronage and business ties have allowed Wa State to remain relatively insulated from the civil war consuming the rest of Myanmar since a 2021 military coup.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

Drums had begun to beat, the fire was blazing fiercely, great long orange tongues consuming the fuel and thrusting upwards and sometimes outwards as if to engulf the watchers.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Related Words

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