1
Use a resource
Employ energy, water, fuel, or material until some is spent.
Example
The redesign reduced the building's electricity consumption.
consumption
/kənˈsʌmpʃən/ · kuhn-SUMP-shuhnnoun
The process of eating, drinking, buying, or using something up.
Use consumption for the use of resources or goods, the intake of food or media, or the amount used during a period.
What consumption Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Take in food or media
Eat, drink, read, watch, or otherwise absorb something.
Example
The survey tracked weekly consumption of news from online sources.
3
Purchase goods
Acquire products and services within an economy.
Example
Rising household consumption supported economic growth.
Use consumption Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The redesign reduced the building's electricity consumption.
Researchers measured daily water consumption during the heatwave.
The study examines how mobile devices changed media consumption.
Precision Matters
Consumption overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
consumption
vs.Often measures the process or quantity used up.
use
Broadly means employ something for a purpose.
consumption
vs.Involves active intake or use.
exposure
Involves contact with an influence or condition.
consumption
vs.Is the act or rate of using.
depletion
Is the resulting reduction of a supply.
consumption
vs.Uses or purchases goods and resources.
production
Creates goods or output—the contrast.
Test consumption in Context
The sentence concerns the amount of electricity used.
1
After replacing conventional bulbs with LEDs, the museum recorded a thirty-percent reduction in electricity ___ despite extending its opening hours.