consume

[kuh n-soom] /kənˈsum/
verb (used with object), consumed, consuming.
1.
to destroy or expend by use; use up.
2.
to eat or drink up; devour.
3.
to destroy, as by decomposition or burning:
Fire consumed the forest.
4.
to spend (money, time, etc.) wastefully.
5.
to absorb; engross:
consumed with curiosity.
verb (used without object), consumed, consuming.
6.
to undergo destruction; waste away.
7.
to use or use up consumer goods.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English (< Middle French consumer) < Latin consūmere, equivalent to con- con- + sūmere to take up (perhaps < *suzm- < *subzm- < *subs-(e)m-, equivalent to subs-, variant of sub- sub- + emere to take, buy)
Related forms
half-consumed, adjective
overconsume, verb, overconsumed, overconsuming.
preconsume, verb (used with object), preconsumed, preconsuming.
unconsumed, adjective
underconsume, verb (used with object), underconsumed, underconsuming.
Synonyms
1. exhaust, deplete. 4. squander, dissipate.
Examples from the web for consume
  • There was a six-month supply of food and water-but not a soul to consume it.
  • Where spotted owls are finicky eaters, barred owls consume almost anything, including spotted owls.
  • Readers consume volumes of it, and then ask to meet the author.
  • It took him nearly the duration of the flight to consume half his bagel: he had a lot to say.
  • Rice plants, they say, house the souls of their ancestors and give strength to those who consume it.
  • Most ladybugs voraciously consume plant-eating insects, such as aphids, and in doing so they help to protect crops.
  • Artificial trees, he noted, consume significant energy and petroleum-based materials during their manufacture.
  • The secret, according to a new study, is in a fluid secreted by the maggots to help them consume decaying tissue.
  • Some consume live plants and are considered agricultural pests.
  • Males need to consume more food each day than females because of their larger size.
British Dictionary definitions for consume

consume

/kənˈsjuːm/
verb
1.
(transitive) to eat or drink
2.
(transitive; often passive) to engross or obsess
3.
(transitive) to use up; expend: my car consumes little oil
4.
to destroy or be destroyed by burning, decomposition, etc: fire consumed the forest
5.
(transitive) to waste or squander: the time consumed on that project was excessive
6.
(passive) to waste away
Derived Forms
consuming, adjective
consumingly, adverb
Word Origin
C14: from Latin consūmere to devour, from com- (intensive) + sūmere to take up, from emere to take, purchase
Word Origin and History for consume
v.

late 14c., from Old French consumer "to consume" (12c.) and directly from Latin consumere "to use up, eat, waste," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + sumere "to take," from sub- "under" + emere "to buy, take" (see exempt (adj.)).