consume Hear it!

consume Definition

con·sume (kən so̵̅o̅m′, -syo̵̅o̅m′)

transitive verb -·sumed′, -·sum′·ing

  1. to destroy, as by fire; do away with
    1. to use up
    2. to spend wastefully; squander (time, energy, money, etc.)
  3. to eat or drink up; devour
  4. to absorb completely; engross or obsess consumed with envy, a consuming interest
  5. to buy for one's personal needs

Etymology: ME consumen < OFr consumer < L consumere, to use up, eat, waste < com-, together + sumere, to take < sub-, under + emere, to buy, take: see redeem

intransitive verb

  1. Now Rare to waste away; perish
  2. to buy consumer goods or services for one's personal needs

consume Related Forms

con·sum′·able adjective

consume Synonyms

consume

v.

  1. To eat or drink

    eat up, absorb, devour, put away*; see drink 1, eat 1.

  2. To use

    utilize, employ, use up, deplete, exhaust, expend, drain, spend, spend wastefully, squander, waste, dissipate, apply, avail oneself of, make use of, put to use, finish up, finish off, run out of, wear out, fritter away; see also spend 1, 2, use 1, waste 1, 2.

    Antonyms save*, conserve*, preserve. *

  3. To destroy

    devastate, ravage, demolish, eat away; see destroy 1.

  4. To absorb completely

    engross, preoccupy, obsess, overwhelm; see haunt 3, occupy 3.

consume Usage Examples

Object

  • calorie: For example, a 10 stone woman would need to consume 1,540 calories per day to lose weight.
  • alcohol: In fact you're probably MORE likely to get up the duff because of the amount of alcohol consumed!
  • quantity: Windows itself consumes a surprisingly large quantity of RAM.
  • ton: The plant is located at the center of England's poultry producing region and consumes 420,000 tons of litter each year.
  • beverage: Bottled water is now the second most consumed beverage in the US based on volume.
  • carbohydrate: Additionally, drink at least 8-10 glasses of water each day. * Do consume extra carbohydrate.

Preposition: on

premise: Packed lunches can be kept in our kitchen refrigerator and consumed on the premises.

Subject

  • /caption: TABLE border="1 " CAPTION Cups of coffee consumed by each senator /CAPTION TR TH Name TH Cups TH Type of Coffee TH Sugar?
  • jealousy: A man consumed by an inexplicable jealousy destroys everything around him, his family, his kingdom and himself.
  • flame: Besieged by Ambrosius, the fort catches fire and Vortigern is consumed by the flames.

Preposition: over

ton: Material flows In 2001, the South West consumed over 42.7 million tons of materials.

Adjective complement

less: Research indicates that many of us consume less than half the Omega 3 we need.

Preposition: in

  • moderation: Relay For Life is a family event and alcohol should be consumed only in moderation.
  • quantity: Others, like Chamomile, can be safely consumed in quantities of 5 or 6 cups a day.
  • excess: AA is found in meat and dairy and is often consumed in excess.
  • flame: The top of the mountain is consumed in flames.

Preposition: with

guilt: I wonder where the me that cared about the planet went - consumed with guilt, I think.

Preposition: by

  • /caption: TABLE border="1 " CAPTION Cups of coffee consumed by each senator /CAPTION TR TH Name TH Cups TH Type of Coffee TH Sugar?
  • jealousy: A man consumed by an inexplicable jealousy destroys everything around him, his family, his kingdom and himself.
  • flame: Besieged by Ambrosius, the fort catches fire and Vortigern is consumed by the flames.