Synonyms for consume
kənˈsumcon·sume

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:3.3 / 3 votes

1. consumeverb

   To use.

   The power plant consumes 30 tons of coal per hour.

   Synonyms:
   burn, use, use up

2. consumeverb

   To eat.

   Baby birds consume their own weight in food each day.

   Synonyms:
   eat, devour, swallow

3. consumeverb

   To occupy (one’s attention or thoughts).

   Desire consumed him.

   Synonyms:
   take over, occupy, overcome

4. consumeverb

   To destroy completely.

   The building was consumed by fire.

   Synonyms:
   raze, devastate, destroy, obliterate, annihilate, wipe out, eliminate

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.8 / 4 votes

1. consume

   A fluid that is absorbed is taken up into the mass of the absorbing body, with which it may or may not permanently combine. Wood expands when it absorbs moisture, iron when it absorbs heat, the substance remaining perhaps otherwise substantially unchanged; quicklime, when it absorbs water, becomes a new substance with different qualities, hydrated or slaked lime. A substance is consumed which is destructively appropriated by some other substance, being, or agency, so that it ceases to exist or to be recognized as existing in its original condition; fuel is consumed in the fire, food in the body; consume is also applied to whatever is removed from the market for individual use; as, silk and woolen goods are consumed. A great talker engrosses the conversation. A credulous person swallows the most preposterous statement. A busy student imbibes or drinks in knowledge; he is absorbed in a subject that takes his whole attention. "I only postponed it because I happened to get absorbed in a book." Kane Grinnell Exped. ch. 43, page 403. [Harper & Bros. '54.]

   Synonyms:
   absorb, drink in, drink up, engross, exhaust, imbibe, suck up, swallow, swallow up, take in, take up

   Antonyms:
   cast out, disgorge, disperse, dissipate, distract, eject, emit, exude, give up, put forth, radiate, send out, shoot forth, throw off, vomit

   Preposition:
   Plants absorb moisture from the air; the student is absorbed in thought; nutriment may be absorbed into the system through the skin.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.7 / 3 votes

1. consume

   Synonyms:
   use, appropriate, burn, oat up, devour, spend, squander, assimilate, occupy, absorb, employ, utilize, waste, destroy, spoil, ravage, expend, pine, wither, decay

   Antonyms:
   reject, supersede, disuse, discard

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:2.2 / 7 votes

1. devour, down, consume, go throughverb

   eat immoderately

   "Some people can down a pound of meat in the course of one meal"

   Synonyms:
   land, take in, eat up, pull down, exhaust, ware, put through, eat, pass, push down, kill, go through, follow out, take, have, belt down, waste, use up, drink down, see, shoot down, cut down, ingest, go across, run through, toss off, pour down, follow up, follow through, squander, guttle, wipe out, carry out, down, bolt down, refine, raven, experience, pop, work through, devour, fine-tune, knock down, pig, implement, deplete, polish

   Antonyms:
   abstain, desist, refrain

2. consume, ingest, take in, take, haveverb

   serve oneself to, or consume regularly

   "Have another bowl of chicken soup!"; "I don't take sugar in my coffee"

   Synonyms:
   require, read, receive, bring in, subscribe to, rent, withdraw, make, lead, ingest, take on, carry, draw, assume, cause, have, hold, overhear, choose, sustain, cod, learn, fill, absorb, have got, squander, necessitate, invite, earn, stimulate, drive, demand, wipe out, assimilate, consider, need, study, gather in, suffer, run through, pick out, gull, collect, fool, suck, gain, contract, deal, adopt, film, remove, exhaust, admit, birth, call for, lease, realize, down, train, deplete, strike, give birth, take up, give, bring, see, pull in, use up, select, take, engage, catch, sop up, let, feature, eat up, claim, befool, get, devour, get hold of, suck in, take away, pack, soak up, throw, go through, take in, exact, submit, convey, view, own, take aim, shoot, aim, induce, dupe, direct, charter, put on, eat, contain, waste, bear, subscribe, deliver, clear, experience, slang, watch, involve, acquire, suck up, look at, postulate, ware, hire, accept, put one across, possess, guide, occupy, put one over, ask, realise, imbibe, conduct

   Antonyms:
   refrain, desist, abstain

3. consume, squander, waste, wareverb

   spend extravagantly

   "waste not, want not"

   Synonyms:
   languish, exhaust, take in, eat up, neutralise, rot, liquidate, ware, neutralize, down, blow, scourge, take, lay waste to, waste, use up, desolate, do in, macerate, ingest, eat, run through, go through, squander, wipe out, ravage, have, devastate, emaciate, pine away, knock off, devour, deplete, run off

   Antonyms:
   desist, abstain, refrain

4. consumeverb

   destroy completely

   "The fire consumed the building"

   Synonyms:
   waste, eat, wipe out, go through, down, eat up, have, take in, exhaust, ingest, deplete, run through, ware, take, squander, devour, use up

   Antonyms:
   abstain, refrain, desist

5. consume, eat up, use up, eat, deplete, exhaust, run through, wipe outverb

   use up (resources or materials)

   "this car consumes a lot of gas"; "We exhausted our savings"; "They run through 20 bottles of wine a week"

   Synonyms:
   exhaust, take in, eat on, eat up, play out, expel, ware, wash up, eat, erase, release, corrode, beat, tire, kill, go through, eliminate, take, have, occupy, waste, finish, use up, swallow, tucker, polish off, decimate, tucker out, rust, feed, ingest, swallow up, obliterate, run through, extinguish, squander, annihilate, wipe out, bury, down, discharge, run down, work through, devour, sweep away, sap, cancel out, eject, immerse, carry off, deplete, eradicate

   Antonyms:
   refrain, abstain, desist

6. consumeverb

   engage fully

   "The effort to pass the exam consumed all his energy"

   Synonyms:
   waste, eat, wipe out, go through, down, eat up, have, take in, exhaust, ingest, deplete, run through, ware, take, squander, devour, use up

   Antonyms:
   desist, refrain, abstain

Matched Categories

1. • Absorb
   • Destroy
   • Spend

Editors ContributionRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. hit (verb)

   (1) to drink too much alcohol constantly; (2) to have a drink

   too much stress! it's time to hit the bottle.

   Submitted by erhnice on July 29, 2019  

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. consumeverb

   Synonyms:
   destroy, waste, spend, expend, exhaust, devour, lavish, squander, dissipate, use up

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "consume":

   eat, consuming, consumption, use, drink

How to pronounce consume?

How to say consume in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use consume in a sentence?

1. Glenn Eisen:

   Millennials do consume a great deal of TV, our goal is to target millennials and be on the media they consume.

2. Raoul Vaneigem:

   Work to survive, survive by consuming, survive to consume the hellish cycle is complete.

3. Aaron Stinson:

   I consume a lot of water. I try to live a healthy lifestyle so I try not to drink too much pop, this is a lifestyle with me, I consume a lot of water, all my friends and family know that about me.

4. City Commissioner Al Schmidt:

   I realize a lot of people are happy about this election and a lot of people are not happy about this election. One thing I can't comprehend is how hungry people are to consume lies and to consume information that is not true.

5. Mark Twain:

   In Marseilles they make half the toilet soap we consume in America, but the Marseillaise only have a vague theoretical idea of its use, which they have obtained from books of travel.