# consume

/kənˈsum/ (US) · /kənsˈuːm/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/consume
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to use resources

verb · CEFR B1 · Academic

to use fuel, energy, or time.

For teachers: to exhaust or expend a resource, such as fuel, energy, or time. Transitive in most contexts.

- The old heater consumes a lot of electricity during the winter months.
- Modern industrial processes consume vast quantities of water, leading to concerns about local resource management and sustainability.

Usage: Often used in technical or environmental discussions regarding energy and resources.

### 2. to eat or drink

verb · CEFR B2 · Formal

to eat or drink something.

For teachers: to ingest food or drink. This sense carries a more formal or scientific register than 'eat'.

- You should not consume too much sugar if you want to stay healthy.
- The study monitored how much caffeine the participants consumed over a twenty-four-hour period to assess its impact on sleep quality.

### 3. to buy goods

verb · CEFR B2 · Academic

to buy and use products or services.

For teachers: to purchase and utilize goods and services within an economy.

- People tend to consume more luxury goods when the economy is doing well.
- Economists analyze how households consume and save in response to fluctuating interest rates and tax incentives.

### 4. to fill with emotion

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary

to have a feeling so strong that you cannot think about anything else.

For teachers: to engross or obsess someone; to occupy a person's mind or interest completely. Often used in the passive voice.

- He was consumed by guilt after he lied to his best friend.
- She was so consumed by her research that she frequently forgot to eat or check her messages for days at a time.

Usage: Commonly follows the pattern 'be consumed by/with [emotion]'.

### 5. to destroy

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary

to destroy something completely, usually by fire.

For teachers: to destroy or do away with completely, typically through the action of fire or natural forces.

- The forest fire consumed thousands of trees in just a few hours.
- The flames quickly consumed the abandoned warehouse, leaving nothing but a charred skeletal frame by the time the crews arrived.

### 6. to take in media

verb · CEFR B2

to read, watch, or listen to information and entertainment.

For teachers: to absorb or take in information, especially through digital media or news outlets.

- Many young people consume news through social media rather than television.
- The way we consume digital content has shifted toward short-form video, significantly altering the advertising landscape.

## Examples

- The new heater will consume a lot of electricity.
- Modern households consume significantly more digital data than they did a decade ago due to high-definition streaming services.
- While the primary goal of the project was to reduce waste, the administrative overhead required to manage the new system began to consume more resources than the initiative actually saved.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.