Meaning of consume In English

• 0 to use fuel, energy, or time, especially in large amounts:

  • Our high living standards cause our current population to consume 25 percent of the world's oil.

  • He consumes huge amounts of bread with every meal.

• 1 If a fire consumes something, it destroys it completely.

  • He was consumed with jealousy.

  • As a teenager, I was consumed by passion for the boy next door.

• 2 to use fuel, energy, or time, esp. in large amounts:

  • Weekend shopping chores consumed much of her time.

  • They consume a lot of candy.

  • Fire had consumed the whole building.

  • We were consumed with joy and relief, as well as profound gratitude.

• 3 to use something such as fuel, energy, money, or time, especially in large quantities:

  • It's a province of China which consumes 180,000 tons of coal a year.

  • This device will monitor how much energy your household appliances are consuming at any time.

  • Meetings routinely consume at least 20 hours of his time a week.

• 4 to buy goods or services:

  • The shift toward an increasingly cashless society has changed the way we consume goods.