kənˈsüm verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English consumen, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French consumer, from Latin consumere to take completely, consume, from com- + sumere to take, from sub- + emere to buy, obtain — more at redeem
transitive verb
1. : to destroy or do away with completely (as by fire, disease, famine, decomposition)
the blaze consumed several blocks
: cause to waste away utterly
plague consumed an entire generation
2.
a. : to spend wastefully : squander
consume the family income on luxuries
b.
(1) : to use up : expend
an iron furnace consumed thousands of cords for fuel — American Guide Series: Michigan
(2) : to use up (as time)
hours consumed in reading
visitors who wish to spend a brief vacation … and to consume as little of it as possible in transit — American Guide Series: Vermont
c. : to utilize (an economic good) in the satisfaction of wants or the process of production
the production of nuclear energy … soon to consume 10 percent of all the electricity we produce — New Republic
3. : to eat or drink especially without measure
the banqueters consumed several kegs of beer
4. : to engage or absorb fully the attention, interest, or energy of : engross
when the rage and the hatred that consume one are more than one can bear — Kay Boyle
intransitive verb
: to waste or burn away : perish
as quickly as blossoms consume away
leaves, which were quietly consuming in bonfires — Sylvia T. Warner
Synonyms: see eat , monopolize , waste