consume

con·sume

Use consume in a sentence

A woman consumes a hamburger.

verb

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.

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MLA Style

"consume." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Consume>.

APA Style

consume. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Consume

consume

transitive verb

-·sumed′, -·sum′ing

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

Origin of consume

Middle English consumen from Old French consumer from Classical Latin consumere, to use up, eat, waste from com-, together + sumere, to take from sub-, under + emere, to buy, take: see redeem

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

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Link to this page

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MLA Style

"consume." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Consume>.

APA Style

consume. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Consume

consume

verb

con·sumed, con·sum·ing, con·sumes

verb

transitive

To take in as food; eat or drink up. See Synonyms at eat.
a. To expend; use up: engines that consume less fuel; a project that consumed most of my time and energy.
b. To purchase (goods or services) for direct use or ownership.
To waste; squander.
To destroy totally; ravage: flames that consumed the house; a body consumed by cancer.
To absorb; engross: consumed with jealousy. See Synonyms at engross.

verb

intransitive

To purchase economic goods and services: a society that consumes as fast as it produces.

Origin of consume

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

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"consume." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Consume>.

APA Style

consume. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Consume

Verb

(third-person singular simple present consumes, present participle consuming, simple past and past participle consumed)

To use.
The power plant consumes 30 tons of coal per hour.
To eat.
Baby birds consume their own weight in food each day.
To completely occupy the thoughts or attention of.
Desire consumed him.
To destroy completely.
The building was consumed by fire.
1899, Kate Chopin, The Awakening:
He assured her the child was consuming at that moment in the next room.