Meanings
plural consumptions
- uncountableusuallyThe act of eating, drinking or using.
The consumption of snails as food is more common in France than in England.
1 more example
A Guardia Civil spokesperson said that ayahuasca, San Pedro, toad poison, wild rue and mimosa pudica were prohibited substances in Spain, adding that their consumption was not authorised because, while they were natural substances, they could be highly dangerous to human health.
2025 August 11, Sam Jones, “Ayahuasca and toad poison seized as police raid spiritual retreats in Spain”, in The Guardian, →ISSN - uncountableusuallyThe amount consumed.
gross national consumption
- uncountableusuallyThe act of consuming or destroying.
The fire's consumption of the forest caused ecological changes.
1 more example
Driving methods have a direct bearing on fuel consumption with every type of motive power.
1963 February, “Diesel locomotive faults and their remedies”, in Modern Railways, page 99 - uncountableusuallymedicineThe wasting away of the human body through disease.
- dateduncountableusuallymedicinePulmonary tuberculosis and other diseases that cause wasting away, lung infection, etc.
And then as to your ſcurvys, and gouts, rheumatiſms, conſumptions, coughs and catarrhs, tar-vvater and turpentine vvill make you as ſound as a roach.
1763 June 20 (first performance), Samuel Foote, The Mayor of Garret. A Comedy, […], London: […] P[aul] Vaillant, […], published 1764, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 41 more example
'[…] That she was, to all appearance, in the last stage of a consumption, was — yes, in such a situation it was my greatest comfort. Life could do nothing for her, beyond giving time for a better preparation for death; and that was given […]'
1811, [Jane Austen], chapter IX, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC - datedeuphemisticuncountableusuallyAlcoholism as it precipitates a person's death (especially of natural causes).
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe process of taking food into the body through the mouth (as by eating)
nouninvolving the lungs with progressive wasting of the body
noun(economics) the utilization of economic goods to satisfy needs or in manufacturing
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
- Proto-Italic*kom
- Proto-Italic*kom-
- Latincon-
- Proto-Indo-European*upó
- Proto-Italic*supo
- Latinsub
- Latinsub-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁em-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁émeti
- Proto-Italic*emō
- Latinemō
- Latinsūmō
- Latincōnsūmō
- Latincōnsūmptiō
- Old Frenchconsumpcion
- Middle Englishconsumpcioun
- Englishconsumption
From con- + Latin sūmptus + -ion, from Middle English consumpcioun, from Old French consumpcion, from Latin cōnsūmptiō, from cōnsūmō + -tiō, from con- (“with, together”) + sūmō (“take; consume”). Equivalent to consume + -tion.
More words from Latin, Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek φθίσις
- φθίσις (phthísis)wasting-away of the human body through disease
Arabic اِسْتِهْلَاك
- اِسْتِهْلَاك (istihlāk)the act of consuming something
Bulgarian консумация, консумиране
- консумация (konsumacija)the amount consumed
- консумиране (konsumirane)the act of consuming something
- изразходване (izrazhodvane)the act of consuming something
Catalan consum, consum
- consumthe amount consumed
- consumthe act of consuming something
- consumpciówasting-away of the human body through disease
Chinese Mandarin 消費 /消费
- 消費 /消费 (xiāofèi)the act of consuming something
Czech spotřeba, spotřeba
- spotřebathe amount consumed
- spotřebathe act of consuming something
- zničeníthe act of consuming something
- konzumacethe act of consuming something
- úbytěwasting-away of the human body through disease
Danish forbrug, konsum
- forbrugthe act of consuming something
- konsumthe act of consuming something
- tæringwasting-away of the human body through disease
Dutch consumptie, verbruik
- consumptiethe amount consumed
- verbruikthe amount consumed
- consumptiethe act of consuming something
- verbruikthe act of consuming something
- wegterenwasting-away of the human body through disease
Finnish kulutus, kuluttaminen
- kulutusthe amount consumed
- kuluttaminenthe act of consuming something
- kulutusthe act of consuming something
- riutuminenwasting-away of the human body through disease
French consommation, consommation
- consommationthe amount consumed
- consommationthe act of consuming something
- consomptionwasting-away of the human body through disease
German Verbrauch, Verbrauchswert
- Verbrauchthe amount consumed
- Verbrauchswertthe amount consumed
- Verzehrthe amount consumed
- Konsumthe amount consumed
- Bedarfthe amount consumed
- Konsumthe act of consuming something
- Verzehrthe act of consuming something
- Verbrauchthe act of consuming something
- Aufnahmethe act of consuming something
- Auszehrungwasting-away of the human body through disease
- Konsumptionwasting-away of the human body through disease
- Konsumtionwasting-away of the human body through disease
Greek κατανάλωση, κατανάλωση
- κατανάλωση (katanálosi)the amount consumed
- κατανάλωση (katanálosi)the act of consuming something
- φθίση (fthísi)wasting-away of the human body through disease
Hebrew צריכה
- צריכה (tzrikha)the act of consuming something
Hindi उपभोग, अनुभोग
- उपभोग (upbhog)the act of consuming something
- अनुभोग (anubhog)the act of consuming something
- सेवन (sevan)the act of consuming something
Hungarian fogyasztás
- fogyasztásthe act of consuming something
Indonesian konsumsi
- konsumsithe act of consuming something
Italian consumo, consumo
- consumothe amount consumed
- consumothe act of consuming something
- consunzionewasting-away of the human body through disease
- deperimentowasting-away of the human body through disease
Japanese 消費
- 消費 (shōhi)the act of consuming something
Korean 소비
- 소비 (sobi)the act of consuming something
Latin absūmēdō
- absūmēdōthe act of consuming something
Malay penggunaan, konsumsi
- penggunaanthe act of consuming something
- konsumsithe act of consuming something
Māori whakapaunga, whakapetotanga
- whakapaungathe amount consumed
- whakapetotangathe amount consumed
- whakahemongathe act of consuming something
- whakapaungathe act of consuming something
- whakapetohangathe act of consuming something
Norwegian Bokmål forbruk, konsum
- forbrukthe act of consuming something
- konsumthe act of consuming something
Polish konsumpcja, konsumpcja
- konsumpcjathe amount consumed
- konsumpcjathe act of consuming something
- konsumpcjawasting-away of the human body through disease
Portuguese consumo, consumo
- consumothe amount consumed
- consumothe act of consuming something
Romanian consum, consum
- consumthe amount consumed
- consumthe act of consuming something
Russian потребле́ние, расхо́д
- потребле́ние (potreblénije)the amount consumed
- расхо́д (rasxód)the amount consumed
- потребле́ние (potreblénije)the act of consuming something
- истоще́ние (istoščénije)wasting-away of the human body through disease
Scottish Gaelic caitheamh, caitheamh
- caitheamhthe amount consumed
- caitheamhthe act of consuming something
- caitheamhwasting-away of the human body through disease
Spanish consumo, consumición
- consumothe amount consumed
- consumiciónthe amount consumed
- consumothe act of consuming something
- consunciónthe act of consuming something
- consumiciónthe act of consuming something
- consumimientothe act of consuming something
- consunciónwasting-away of the human body through disease
- consumimientowasting-away of the human body through disease
Swedish konsumtion, konsumtion
- konsumtionthe amount consumed
- konsumtionthe act of consuming something
- åtgångthe act of consuming something
Tagalog pananaid, pananaid
- pananaidthe amount consumed
- pananaidthe act of consuming something
Thai การบริโภค
- การบริโภคthe act of consuming something
Turkish tüketim
- tüketimthe act of consuming something
Ukrainian спожива́ння, ви́трата
- спожива́ння (spožyvánnja)the act of consuming something
- ви́трата (výtrata)the act of consuming something
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with consumption
Cite this entry
consumption. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/consumption
“consumption.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/consumption. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “consumption,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/consumption.
Source: consumption on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.