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Consume

//kənˈsum// verb

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To use up. transitive

    "The power plant consumes 30 tons of coal per hour."

  2. 2
    engage fully wordnet
  3. 3
    To eat. transitive

    "Baby birds consume their own weight in food each day."

  4. 4
    serve oneself to, or consume regularly wordnet
  5. 5
    To completely occupy the thoughts or attention of. transitive

    "Desire consumed him."

Show 8 more definitions
  1. 6
    use up (resources or materials) wordnet
  2. 7
    To destroy completely. transitive

    "The building was consumed by fire."

  3. 8
    spend extravagantly wordnet
  4. 9
    To waste away slowly. intransitive, obsolete

    "Therefore, let Benedick, like cover'd fire, / Consume away in sighs."

  5. 10
    eat up completely, as with great appetite wordnet
  6. 11
    To trade money for good or services as an individual. intransitive, transitive

    "In a materialistic society, individuals are taught to consume, consume, consume."

  7. 12
    destroy completely by means of consumption wordnet
  8. 13
    To absorb information, especially through the mass media. transitive

    "The Internet has changed the way we consume news."

Etymology

From Middle English consumen, from Old French consumer, from Latin cōnsūmere, cōnsūmō, from con- (“with, together”) + sūmō (“take; consume”), from sub- + emō (“to buy, take”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- (“to take, distribute”), possibly related to the root *nem- (“to take or give one's due”).

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