consume

consume — verb

1. to need and use a resource like petrol, electricity, or time, often in large amo

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to need and use a resource like petrol, electricity, or time, often in large amounts — for instance, an old engine consuming a lot of diesel, or a complex project taking up most of a working week.

Example

Tuan's old car consumes a lot of petrol on long motorway journeys.

collocation: consume + fuel / energy

The new factory consumes far less energy than the building it replaced.

Common collocations
  • consume energy
  • consume fuel
  • consume time
  • consume resources
  • consume electricity
  • consume gas
Synonyms
  • use

    more general and less formal; does not imply using something up or in large quantity

  • use up

    emphasises that nothing is left after use; phrasal verb, more informal

  • expend

    more formal, often used of effort or resources in official contexts

  • devour

    much stronger; suggests rapid and complete consumption as if by hunger

Antonyms
  • conserve

    to use something carefully to avoid wasting it

  • save

    to keep something for later use rather than using it now

Grammar Patterns

consume + noun (fuel, energy, time, materials)

Usage Note

Object is typically a measurable resource such as fuel, energy, time, or money. Less common with intangible items like 'effort' or 'attention.'

Common Mistakes

I consumed my phone to call my friend.
I used my phone to call my friend.
'consume' means to use up resources, not to operate a device.

2. to take food or liquid into your body, especially as part of your regular diet o

2.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to take food or liquid into your body, especially as part of your regular diet or in measured amounts — for example, when a doctor advises a patient to consume less salt, or a nutrition label shows how many calories a serving contains.

Example

Many young people in Taipei consume bubble tea almost every single day.

formal register for 'eat' or 'drink'

The doctor told Hyun to consume less sugar and salt for his blood pressure.

Common collocations
  • consume food
  • consume alcohol
  • consume sugar
  • consume calories
  • consume enough ...
Synonyms
  • eat

    everyday word; less formal and more natural in conversation

  • drink

    specific to liquids; 'consume' covers both solids and liquids

  • ingest

    technical or medical term; not used in everyday speech

Antonyms
  • fast

    to eat no food for a period of time, often for health or religious reasons

Grammar Patterns

consume + noun (food, drink)

Usage Note

More formal than 'eat' or 'drink.' Common in health, nutrition, and medical writing. Often paired with quantity expressions (too much, enough, less, a lot of).

Common Mistakes

I consumed breakfast quickly and ran to school.
I ate breakfast quickly and ran to school.
'consume' sounds overly formal for everyday meals; use 'eat' or 'have' for routine eating.
The baby consumed a bottle of milk.
The baby drank a bottle of milk.
'consume' is too clinical for describing what babies do; use 'drink' for natural register.

3. to watch, read, or listen to different forms of media — for example, watching te

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to watch, read, or listen to different forms of media — for example, watching television programmes, reading online articles, or listening to music and podcasts.

Example

Young audiences now consume most of their news through short social media clips.

modern usage: consume + news / media content

Sade consumed three full seasons of the Korean drama in just one weekend.

Common collocations
  • consume media
  • consume content
  • consume news
  • consume videos
  • consume information
Synonyms
  • watch

    specific to visual media; less abstract than 'consume'

  • read

    specific to written content; 'consume' covers all media types

  • take in

    less formal phrasal verb; suggests absorbing information casually

Grammar Patterns

consume + noun (media, content, news, videos)

Usage Note

Increasingly common in discussions of digital habits and media trends. Refers to the act of engaging with content, not purchasing it. The object is always a type of media (news, videos, music, articles, podcasts).

Common Mistakes

I consumed a new book from the bookstore.
I bought a new book from the bookstore.
'consume' means to read or watch, not to purchase.

4. when a blaze or flame burns right through an object or area until nothing is lef

4.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

when a blaze or flame burns right through an object or area until nothing is left, it consumes it — for instance, a wildfire turning a whole forest into ash, or a house fire eating through the roof and walls.

Example

The wildfire consumed over two hundred hectares of forest in three days.

subject: fire / flames; object: part of landscape or building

The old wooden temple was quickly consumed by the spreading flames.

passive: be consumed by fire / flames

Common collocations
  • consumed by fire
  • consumed by flames
  • fire consumes
  • flames consume
  • blaze consumes
Synonyms
  • destroy

    more general; does not specify the means of destruction

  • burn down

    phrasal verb; implies a building is reduced to nothing by fire

  • devour

    more literary; personifies fire as a hungry creature

Antonyms
  • save

    to rescue something from being destroyed

  • preserve

    to keep something safe from damage or destruction

Grammar Patterns

fire / flames + consume + noun; be consumed by fire / flames

Usage Note

Only used of fires, flames, or similar destructive forces. Not used for demolition by people or machines. Frequently appears in the passive construction 'be consumed by fire / flames.'

Common Mistakes

The workers consumed the old building with a bulldozer.
The workers demolished the old building with a bulldozer.
'consume' refers to destruction by fire, not by tools or machinery.

5. when an intense emotion takes over your thoughts and actions so completely that

5.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

when an intense emotion takes over your thoughts and actions so completely that you cannot focus on much else — for instance, being eaten up by guilt after a bad choice, or so overtaken by jealousy that you cannot enjoy your own successes.

Example

Adina was consumed with guilt after forgetting her best friend's birthday.

passive: be consumed with + emotion (guilt, jealousy, grief)

Élise felt consumed by jealousy when her sister won the award she wanted.

Common collocations
  • consumed by guilt
  • consumed with jealousy
  • consumed by grief
  • consumed by anger
  • consumed by fear
  • consumed by curiosity
Synonyms
  • overwhelm

    more general; can apply to any strong force, not just emotions

  • engulf

    suggests being surrounded or swallowed up by the feeling

  • devour

    literary; suggests the feeling eats away at a person from inside

Antonyms
  • liberate

    to free someone from a controlling emotion or state

  • relieve

    to remove or lessen a heavy emotional burden

Grammar Patterns

be consumed by + emotion; be consumed with + emotion

Usage Note

Always used in the passive (be consumed by/with) or as an adjective ('a consumed look'). The subject is a strong emotion: guilt, jealousy, grief, curiosity, anger, passion, fear, hatred. Not used with mild feelings like 'sadness' or 'surprise.'

Common Mistakes

Anger consumed him to shout at the teacher.
Anger consumed him until he could no longer think clearly.
'consume' describes a state of being overwhelmed, not a cause that leads to a specific action.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words involve putting something to work, but they differ in scale, formality, and finality. 'Use' is the most general and neutral — you use a pen, a phone, a tool; it carries no implication of quantity or completeness. 'Utilize' is more formal and suggests putting something to a practical or effective purpose that may not be its obvious one ('utilize a credit card as a screwdriver'). 'Consume' (sense 1) adds the idea of using something up, often in large measure, so that less or none remains. 'Expend' is similarly formal but focuses on effort or resources spent on a task ('expend all one's energy on a project'). 'Devour' is far more intense and literary, implying rapid, greedy, and total consumption as if by hunger ('devour a book in one sitting'). Choose 'consume' when the key idea is reduction or depletion; choose 'use' for everyday, neutral situations.

use ↗utilize ↗expenddevour

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • consume too much
  • consume less
  • consume enough
  • be consumed by

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Consume comes from Latin 'consumere', made of 'con-' meaning 'completely' and 'sumere' meaning 'to take up, to take'. In Old French it became 'consumer', and entered English around the 1300s with the sense of 'to use up, to eat or drink, to destroy'. The 'media' meaning is very recent, arising in the late 20th century as television and the internet grew.