Nominal Forms
Infinitive: to consume
Participle: consumed
Gerund: consuming
Cognates
-
Indicative
Present
| I | consume |
| you | consume |
| he;she;it | consumes |
| we | consume |
| you | consume |
| they | consume |
Perfect
| I | have consumed |
| you | have consumed |
| he;she;it | has consumed |
| we | have consumed |
| you | have consumed |
| they | have consumed |
Past
| I | consumed |
| you | consumed |
| he;she;it | consumed |
| we | consumed |
| you | consumed |
| they | consumed |
Pluperfect
| I | had consumed |
| you | had consumed |
| he;she;it | had consumed |
| we | had consumed |
| you | had consumed |
| they | had consumed |
Future
| I | will consume |
| you | will consume |
| he;she;it | will consume |
| we | will consume |
| you | will consume |
| they | will consume |
Future Perfect
| I | will have consumed |
| you | will have consumed |
| he;she;it | will have consumed |
| we | will have consumed |
| you | will have consumed |
| they | will have consumed |
Subjunctive
Present
| I | consume |
| you | consume |
| he;she;it | consume |
| we | consume |
| you | consume |
| they | consume |
Perfect
| I | have consumed |
| you | have consumed |
| he;she;it | have consumed |
| we | have consumed |
| you | have consumed |
| they | have consumed |
Imperfect
| I | consumed |
| you | consumed |
| he;she;it | consumed |
| we | consumed |
| you | consumed |
| they | consumed |
Pluperfect
| I | had consumed |
| you | had consumed |
| he;she;it | had consumed |
| we | had consumed |
| you | had consumed |
| they | had consumed |
Conditional
Present
| I | would consume |
| you | would consume |
| he;she;it | would consume |
| we | would consume |
| you | would consume |
| they | would consume |
Perfect
| I | would have consumed |
| you | would have consumed |
| he;she;it | would have consumed |
| we | would have consumed |
| you | would have consumed |
| they | would have consumed |
Imperative
| you | consume |
| we | Let's consume |
| you | consume |
Verbs conjugated like 'consume'
abacinate,
abalienate,
abase,
abate,
abbreviate,
abdicate,
abduce,
aberrate,
aberuncate,
abirritate,
abjudge,
abjudicate,
abjugate,
abjure,
ablactate,
ablaqueate,
able,
ablegate,
abligate,
abnegate, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)
Verbs similar to 'consume'
censure,
coassume,
coinsure,
conduce,
confuse,
confute,
conjure,
console,
consult,
consumpt,
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
- use
- use, use up
- destroy
- wipe out
- to take into the body, as for digestion
- get outside, ingest, partake, put away, touch
- utilize
- use, employ, absorb, apply, take
- ingest
- swallow, eat, devour, guzzle, gobble
- squander
- waste, dissipate
Antonyms
- to produce and transmit
- absorb, swallow, take in, emit
- squander
- save, preserve, retain, redeem
Additional Information
Phrasal Verbs
Etymology
1. c.1380, from L.
consumere "to use up, eat, waste," from
com- intensive prefix +
sumere "to take," from
sub- "under" +
emere "to buy, take" (see exempt). Economic sense of
consumer (opposite of
producer) first recorded 1746.
Consumerism is from 1944 in the sense of "protection of the consumer's interest;" modern sense of "consumption as an economic policy" is from 1960.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *ḱe?
4. Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm
5. Proto-Italic *kom
6. Proto-Italic *kom-
7. Latin con-
8. Proto-Indo-European *upó
9. Proto-Italic *supo
10. Latin sub
11. Latin sub-
12. Proto-Indo-European *h₁em-
13. Proto-Indo-European *-eti
14. Proto-Indo-European *h₁émeti
15. Proto-Italic *emō
16. Latin emō
17. Latin sūmō
18. Latin cōnsūmōder.
19. Old French consumerbor.
20. Middle English consumen
21. English consume
22. 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”). See: Latin '
consumo'.
Sample Sentences
-
The power plant consumes 30 tons of coal per hour.
-
Baby birds consume their own weight in food each day.
-
Concerns were raised around the ability of Milky Way species to consume proteins from Andromeda, so seed banks formed a significant part of the arks' cargo. We now know it is safe to consume food grown or hunted here, though enzyme supplements are recommended and have become a social norm at mealtimes. [2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Andromeda Wildlife: Overview Codex entry:]
-
Desire consumed him.
-
The building was consumed by fire.
-
If he were putting to my house the brand / That shall consume it. [c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vi]:]
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Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through to steal: […] [1900, The New Covenant Commonly Called the New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (American Standard Version), New York: Thomas Nelson & Sons, Matthew 6:19–20:]
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Therefore, let Benedick, like cover'd fire, / Consume away in sighs. [1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:]
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But, sir, you see how weak I am. You must see that I have been consuming from day to day […]. [1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter CDXLI”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by John Osborn, […], →OCLC:]
-
He assured her the child was consuming at that moment in the next room. [1899, Kate Chopin, The Awakening:]
-
In a materialistic society, individuals are taught to consume, consume, consume.
-
If you consume this product while in Japan, you may be subject to consumption tax.
-
The Internet has changed the way we consume news.
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And influencers are identifying the brands, music, and TV shows that Americans consume. [2026 March 9, Cyrus Veyssi, “In Defense of Influencers”, in TIME, archived from the original on 14 Mar 2026:]