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
Crews also conduct test burns before igniting a larger area, to verify how effectively fuels are consumed and how smoke will travel.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Nor could the authors conclude definitively that the chimps were deliberately consuming ethanol-rich fruits and sharing it with their compatriots.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 21 Apr. 2025
The LendingTree survey found that 53% of Gen Zers who consume alcohol had plans to cut back of quit drinking entirely in 2024.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
For us as Jews, Easter has far more sinister overtones — of the passages from the Gospels that gave birth to modern antisemitism, of passion plays, pogroms, and emotional fuel for the literal fires that consumed our people.
—Joshua Stanton, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for consume
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Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Nor could the authors conclude definitively that the chimps were deliberately consuming ethanol-rich fruits and sharing it with their compatriots.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 21 Apr. 2025
The LendingTree survey found that 53% of Gen Zers who consume alcohol had plans to cut back of quit drinking entirely in 2024.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
For us as Jews, Easter has far more sinister overtones — of the passages from the Gospels that gave birth to modern antisemitism, of passion plays, pogroms, and emotional fuel for the literal fires that consumed our people.
—Joshua Stanton, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for consume
Cite this Entry
“Consume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consume. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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 too much ice cream
4
: to take up the interest or attention of
was consumed with curiosity
5
: to use as a customer
consume goods
consumable
adjective
-ˈsü-mə-bəl
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