consume
gb/kənsˈum/ us/kənsˈum/
B1
Anglais
~ 9000
Sens
0 sens
Verbe
B1
action
1
Eat or drink something
To eat food or drink something.
Schéma d’usage :
to consume [food/drink]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes use "consume" for everyday eating in casual speech (e.g., "We consumed pizza last night"). In friendly, informal contexts, "eat" or "have" is more natural; "consume" often sounds formal, technical, or used with amounts (calories, sugar, alcohol).
Synonymes
eat (More common and general; does not usually sound formal or technical.)
|
drink (Used only for liquids, while "consume" covers both food and drink.)
Antonymes
abstain (Focuses on choosing not to eat or drink something, often for health or moral reasons.)
Collocations
consume alcohol
|consume calories
|consume meat
|consume large amounts
|consume sugar
|consume dairy products
Thèmes
food
|health
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- People in this country consume large amounts of sugar every day.
- You should not consume alcohol while taking this medication.
- Vegetarians do not consume meat or fish.
- The average child now consumes more calories than in the past.
- She consumes very little dairy because she is lactose intolerant.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He does not consume any meat.
- You should not consume alcohol before you drive.
- Many people consume too much sugar.
- I try to consume more fruit and vegetables.
- Children often consume snacks after school.
unknown
B2
action
2
Use up resources or energy
To use fuel, energy, time, or other things so that there is less or nothing left.
Schéma d’usage :
to consume [resource]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes say "spend" with energy or fuel (e.g., "The car spends a lot of fuel"). In English, we usually say "the car uses/consumes a lot of fuel" and reserve "spend" mainly for time and money.
Synonymes
use up (Everyday phrasal verb; slightly more informal and less technical than "consume".)
|
expend (More formal; often used for money, energy, or effort.)
Antonymes
conserve (Stresses using less of something in order to save it.)
|
save (General opposite, meaning not to spend or use a resource.)
Collocations
consume energy
|consume resources
|consume fuel
|consume electricity
|consume time
|consume bandwidth
Thèmes
environment
|technology
|business
|finance
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- Modern data centers consume huge amounts of electricity.
- This car consumes far less fuel than my old one.
- Streaming video can consume a lot of mobile data.
- The project has already consumed more time than we expected.
- Rich countries consume a disproportionate share of the world's resources.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Older machines consume more energy.
- My job consumes a lot of my time.
- These lights consume less electricity.
- Streaming movies can consume your mobile data quickly.
- Our lifestyle consumes many natural resources.
Verbe
B2
action
3
Buy and use goods or services
To buy and use products or services for yourself, not to sell them again.
Schéma d’usage :
to consume [goods/services]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may overuse this sense in everyday speech (e.g., "I consumed a new phone yesterday"). In daily conversation, "buy" or "get" is more natural; this economic sense of "consume" is more common in news, reports, and academic texts.
Synonymes
purchase (Focuses only on the act of buying, not on using the goods afterward.)
|
use (Very general; does not include the economic idea of buying the product first.)
Antonymes
produce (In economics, the opposite side of the process: making goods or services instead of buying and using them.)
Collocations
consume goods
|consume services
|consume luxury products
|consume locally produced food
|consume more than you produce
Thèmes
economy
|business
|finance
|daily_life
Exemples
- As incomes rise, households tend to consume more goods and services.
- The report shows that urban residents consume far more electricity than rural residents.
- We need to consume fewer imported products and support local farmers.
- Young people today consume music differently, mainly through streaming services.
- Developing countries are beginning to consume more luxury goods.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Most families consume many different products every day.
- Rich countries consume more goods than poor countries.
- We should consume more local food.
- People in cities consume many services, like transport and entertainment.
- Our company studies how customers consume our products.
Verbe
B2
action
4
Use or enjoy media content
To watch videos, read articles, or listen to music, especially on the internet.
Schéma d’usage :
to consume [content/media/news/information]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may think this sense always sounds formal, but in technology and media contexts it is very common and natural (e.g., "how people consume content"). However, in casual talk about one specific movie or book, "watch" or "read" is usually more natural than "consume".
Synonymes
watch (Used mainly for video; less general than "consume", which covers reading and listening too.)
|
engage with (Emphasizes interaction or involvement, not just passive use.)
Antonymes
create (Opposite role: making content instead of using it.)
Collocations
consume content
|consume media
|consume online videos
|consume news
|consume information
Thèmes
media
|internet
|entertainment
|technology
|communication
|arts_entertainment
Exemples
- People increasingly consume news through social media.
- Most teenagers now consume music through streaming platforms.
- We need to be critical about the information we consume online.
- The app changes the way users consume video content.
- He consumes a lot of political podcasts during his commute.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Many young people consume videos on their phones.
- I usually consume news on the internet.
- We consume a lot of online content every day.
- She likes to consume podcasts when she walks.
- Be careful about what information you consume online.
Verbe
C1
action
5
Destroy completely, often by fire
To burn or destroy something so that almost nothing is left.
Schéma d’usage :
to consume [object] (by/in [fire/flames])
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may overuse this dramatic verb in casual descriptions, where "burn" or "destroy" is more natural (e.g., say "The paper burned quickly" rather than "The paper was consumed"). "Consume" in this sense is more typical of news reports or dramatic descriptions.
Synonymes
destroy (General term for causing complete damage; does not specifically suggest fire.)
|
devour (Often more literary or figurative; suggests being eaten up quickly, like by flames.)
Antonymes
preserve (Means to protect something so it is not damaged or destroyed.)
Collocations
flames consumed
|fire consumed
|consumed by flames
|consumed in minutes
|consumed the building
Thèmes
nature
|disasters
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- Within an hour, the fire had consumed the entire warehouse.
- The forest was quickly consumed by flames driven by strong winds.
- Thousands of hectares of land were consumed in the wildfire.
- The blaze consumed everything in its path.
- Flames consumed the old wooden bridge before firefighters could arrive.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The fire consumed the house in two hours.
- Flames consumed the dry trees.
- The wildfire consumed many buildings.
- The whole village was almost consumed by the fire.
- The flames consumed everything inside the shop.
Verbe
literary
C1
property
6
Be totally occupied by emotion
If a feeling or idea consumes you, it is so strong that you think about almost nothing else.
Schéma d’usage :
to be consumed by/with [feeling/thought]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes use this form too casually (e.g., "I was consumed by hunger" in everyday talk). In modern English, "consumed by/with" is stronger and more literary, usually used for powerful emotions like guilt, jealousy, fear, or grief.
Synonymes
obsess (Usually appears as "be obsessed with/by"; focuses on repeated thinking rather than emotional pain.)
|
overwhelm (Highlights the feeling being too strong to control, not just constant.)
Antonymes
let go (Means to stop holding onto a feeling or thought and no longer be controlled by it.)
Collocations
consumed by guilt
|consumed with jealousy
|consumed by grief
|consumed by fear
|consumed with anger
Thèmes
emotions
|mental health
Exemples
- He was consumed by guilt after lying to his parents.
- She became consumed with jealousy when she saw the photos.
- For years he was consumed by the desire for revenge.
- After the accident, she was consumed by grief.
- The fear of failure consumed him and stopped him from taking any risks.
Exemples pédagogiques
- She was consumed by sadness after the breakup.
- He is consumed with anger about the decision.
- For a long time, I was consumed by fear of speaking in public.
- The idea of success consumed him day and night.
- Do not let your work consume you.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
consume
API
GB/kənsˈum/
US/kənsˈum/
Syllabes et accentuation
con - sume (2 syllabes)
Stress on 2nd syllable (sume)
Formes du mot
Verb
- Base: consume
- 3rd Person Singular: consumes
- Present Participle: consuming
- Past: consumed
Famille de mots
Forms
consumes
verb
consuming
verb
consumed
verb
Core family
consumption
noun B1
consumer
noun B1
Related words
consumable
adjective
consumerism
noun C1
Advanced or less common
overconsumption
noun
consumerist
adjective
Expressions
be consumed by
1/bˈi kənsˈumd bˈaɪ/
fixed phrase
literary
Be filled with a strong emotion
To feel one emotion or thought so strongly that you cannot stop thinking about it.
Exemples
- She was consumed by guilt after the argument.
- For months he was consumed by fear of losing his job.
- The author describes a man completely consumed by ambition.
be consumed with
1/bˈi kənsˈumd wˈɪθ/
fixed phrase
literary
Be filled with a strong emotion
To have a strong feeling or thought that takes over your mind.
Exemples
- He was consumed with jealousy when he saw them together.
- She became consumed with anger at the unfair decision.
- For years they were consumed with the idea of revenge.