third-person singular verb
It eats or drinks something.
The dog consumes its food quickly.
She consumes very little sugar.
American English
How to pronounce consumes
verbB2Common word
kʰuhnSOOMZ
/kʰənˈsumz/
2 syllables · Stress the second syllable.
Form of consume
It eats or drinks something.
What to listen for
In “consumes,” stress the second syllable: con-SUMZ. The first syllable is weak and may be very short in natural speech.
Meanings & examples
third-person singular verb
It uses a resource, such as time, energy, or fuel, so that there is less of it.
This car consumes less fuel than the old one.
The process consumes a large amount of time.
third-person singular verb
It watches, reads, listens to, or otherwise takes in media or information.
She consumes most of her news online.
The student consumes educational videos every day.
third-person singular verb
It fills someone's mind or feelings completely, usually in a difficult or negative way.
Fear consumes him when he is alone.
Anger consumes her after the argument.
Useful expressions
to be completely controlled by a strong feeling or thought
He was consumed by anger.
Related words & forms
The final e disappears before -ing: consuming, not consumeing.