consumed; consuming
1
: to do away with completely : destroy
Fire consumed several buildings.
2
3
a
: to eat or drink especially in great quantity
consumed several bags of pretzels
b
: to enjoy avidly : devour
… mysteries, which she consumes for fun …—
Eden Ross Lipson
Eden Ross Lipson4
: to engage fully : engross
consumed with curiosity
5
: to utilize as a customer
consume goods and services
Examples of consume in a Sentence
The new lights consume less electricity.
She's making an effort to live more simply and consume less.
Hundreds of books were consumed in the fire.
Recent Examples on the Web
But once the war winds down, the United States should not return to the consuming daily grind of crisis management in the region that the George W. Bush administration embraced after 9/11.
—Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
Colorado’s decriminalization of certain psychedelics in 2022 means that psilocybin is easy to access and magic mushrooms can be grown and consumed.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2024
Alyssa Hardy, the former fashion news editor at Teen Vogue, says in the documentary that the United States and Europe collectively consume 36 billion units of clothing per year, with 85% of it ending up discarded.
—Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Their fight for control of a cotton mill consumes the family in a complex game of betrayal, blackmail, and loveless marriages, with the predatory Regina reigning above all.
—Danny Horn, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2024
During today’s Aries solar eclipse, a money matter consumes your focus.
—USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
The global industry consumes almost as much water as New York City does, according to an S&P Global Ratings report, which flagged water supply as a potential threat.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
These are some of my favorite things to cook and eat, but while their aromas can be enticing in the moment, no one wants to smell these foods hours or even days after they’ve been cooked and consumed.
—Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
What the Delaney Clause means in practice is that the FDA can be forced to ban a substance that only has been proven to cause cancer in animal studies that don’t mimic anything close to the conditions consumers would face when consuming a product.
—Nicholas Florko, STAT, 28 Mar. 2024
Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
Colorado’s decriminalization of certain psychedelics in 2022 means that psilocybin is easy to access and magic mushrooms can be grown and consumed.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2024
Alyssa Hardy, the former fashion news editor at Teen Vogue, says in the documentary that the United States and Europe collectively consume 36 billion units of clothing per year, with 85% of it ending up discarded.
—Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Their fight for control of a cotton mill consumes the family in a complex game of betrayal, blackmail, and loveless marriages, with the predatory Regina reigning above all.
—Danny Horn, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2024
During today’s Aries solar eclipse, a money matter consumes your focus.
—USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
The global industry consumes almost as much water as New York City does, according to an S&P Global Ratings report, which flagged water supply as a potential threat.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
These are some of my favorite things to cook and eat, but while their aromas can be enticing in the moment, no one wants to smell these foods hours or even days after they’ve been cooked and consumed.
—Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
What the Delaney Clause means in practice is that the FDA can be forced to ban a substance that only has been proven to cause cancer in animal studies that don’t mimic anything close to the conditions consumers would face when consuming a product.
—Nicholas Florko, STAT, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'consume.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near consume
Cite this Entry
“Consume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consume. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
consume
verb
con·sume
kən-ˈsüm 
consumed; consuming
1
: to destroy by or as if by fire
3
: to eat or drink up
consumed a whole gallon of ice cream
4
: to take up the interest or attention of
was consumed with curiosity
5
: to use as a customer
consume goods and services
consumable
adjective
-ˈsü-mə-bəl
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