French Conversation · Level 187
15 words
French word
consumer
Pronunciation
IPA/kɔ̃syme/
Meaning
- verbexhaust
Example
La maladie l'a consumé peu à peu.
The disease gradually exhausted him.
More examples
Le travail l'a consumé de l'intérieur.
The work exhausted him from within.
Core concept
The slow erosion of someone or something's vitality, leaving little strength or substance.
Common phrases
se consumer à petit feu
to gradually wear away
consumer l'énergie de quelqu'un
to sap someone's energy
Similar words
consommer: Reduce goods, food, or energy by using them.
épuiser: Deplete someone's strength or a resource completely.
user: Make a surface thinner or rougher through continued use.
ronger: Gradually hollow out or reduce something from within.
Definition in French
Épuiser progressivement les ressources physiques ou morales d'une personne ou d'une chose.
Word origin
The verb derives from Latin consumere, formed with con- and sumere, 'take', and reached French through Old French before acquiring this sense of progressive depletion.
Usage tips
- Consumer takes a direct object, as in consumer quelqu'un or consumer quelque chose, and the subject can be an illness, worry, or other damaging force.
Other meanings
- eat away atverb
- wear downverb
Opposites
- préserverprotectverb
- revigorerinvigorateverb
Related words
- consuméexhaustedadjective