consume

B1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /kənˈsum/ UK /kənˈsjuːm/ See IPA manual

Freq #10958

Meanings

1

verb
To eat or drink something.

Baby birds consume their own weight in food each day.
2

verb
To use up an amount of something such as fuel, energy, or time.

My new car consumes a lot of fuel.
3

verb
To completely fill someone's thoughts or attention.

He was consumed by jealousy.
4

verb
To destroy something completely, especially by fire.

The building was consumed by fire within minutes.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to eat or drink something. eat devour swallow

2 verb · to use up an amount of... use use up expend exhaust

3 verb · to completely fill... occupy overcome take over

4 verb · to destroy something... destroy devastate obliterate

Word family

Forms consumedconsumesconsumingunconsumable

Derived forms all-consumingconsoomerconsumableconsumationconsumelessconsumermisconsumeoverconsumepreconsumereconsumeunconsumableunderconsume

Related forms consumption consumptive

Simplified etymology

Consume entered English in the late Middle English period from a Latin verb based on sumere, “take” or “take up.” Its original construction conveyed the idea of “taking up together.”

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Italic *supo Latin sub Latin sub- Proto-Indo-European *nem-? Proto-Indo-European *h₁em-der. Proto-Italic *emō Latin emō Latin sūmō Latin cōnsūmōder. Old French consumerbor. Middle English consumen English consume 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”),…

consumen Middle English consumer Old French consumo Latin *h₁em- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# consume

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /kənˈsum/
**IPA (UK):** /kənˈsjuːm/
**Frequency rank:** 10958

## Meanings
1. To eat or drink something.
2. To use up an amount of something such as fuel, energy, or time.
3. To completely fill someone's thoughts or attention.
4. To destroy something completely, especially by fire.

## Examples
- Baby birds consume their own weight in food each day.
- My new car consumes a lot of fuel.
- He was consumed by jealousy.
- The building was consumed by fire within minutes.

## Derived Forms
- all-consuming
- consoomer
- consumable
- consumation
- consumeless
- consumer
- misconsume
- overconsume
- preconsume
- reconsume
- unconsumable
- underconsume

## Related Forms
- consumption
- consumptive

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: consumen
- Root: consumer
- Root: consumo
- Root: *h₁em-

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Italic *supo Latin sub Latin sub- Proto-Indo-European *nem-? Proto-Indo-European *h₁em-der. Proto-Italic *emō Latin emō Latin sūmō Latin cōnsūmōder. Old French consumerbor. Middle English consumen English consume 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”),…

## AI Etymology
consume is a verb. Historical forms in the chain include consumen (Middle English), consumer (Old French), consumo (Latin), and *h₁em- (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include to eat or drink something, to use up an amount of something such as fuel, energy, or time, and to completely fill someone's thoughts or attention. Derived forms include all-consuming, consoomer, consumable, consumation, and consumeless. Related words include consumption and consumptive.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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