Consume meaning

kən-so͝om
consumed consumes consuming
See word origin
Frequency:
To take in as food; eat or drink up.
verb
13
2
To purchase economic goods and services.

A society that consumes as fast as it produces.

verb
10
4
To absorb completely; engross or obsess.

Consumed with envy, a consuming interest.

verb
8
3
To destroy totally; ravage.

Flames that consumed the house; a body consumed by cancer.

verb
4
0
To absorb; engross.

Consumed with jealousy.

verb
4
0
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To consume is to use something up, destroy something or eat something.

An example of consume is when people use up all the world's oil.

An example of consume is when you eat a hamburger.

verb
3
1
To destroy, as by fire; do away with.
verb
2
0
To buy consumer goods or services for one's personal needs.
verb
2
0
To buy for one's personal needs.
verb
1
0
To use.

The power plant consumes 30 tons of coal per hour.

verb
1
0
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To eat.

Baby birds consume their own weight in food each day.

verb
0
0
To completely occupy the thoughts or attention of.

Desire consumed him.

verb
0
0
To destroy completely.

The building was consumed by fire.

verb
0
0
1899, Kate Chopin, The Awakening.

He assured her the child was consuming at that moment in the next room.

verb
0
0
To waste; squander.
verb
0
1
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To eat or drink up; devour.
verb
0
1
(now rare) To waste away; perish.
verb
0
1

Origin of consume

  • Middle English consumen from Latin cōnsūmere com- intensive pref. com– sūmere to take em- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Old French consumer, from Latin consumere.

    From Wiktionary

Consume Sentence Examples

  • Their chief food is grass and seeds, but they also consume roots.

  • If you are able to consume more energy, you can do more work and therefore create more.

  • They sat that way for a long time, silently watching the evening shadows grow long and then consume the sky.

  • She was his only relief, and the visions threatened to consume her.

  • The cordage works are among the largest in the world, and consume immense quantities of sisal fibre imported from Mexico and manila from the Philippine Islands; binder-twine for binding wheat is one of the principal products.

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Words near consume in the Dictionary