The difference between Consume and Eat

When used as verbs, consume means to use up, whereas eat means to consume (something solid or semi-solid, usually food) by putting it into the mouth and swallowing it.

Eat is also noun with the meaning: something to be eaten.

check bellow for the other definitions of Consume and Eat

  1. Consume as a verb (transitive):

    To use up.

    Examples:

    "The power plant consumes 30 tons of coal per hour."

  2. Consume as a verb (transitive):

    To eat.

    Examples:

    "Baby birds consume their own weight in food each day."

  3. Consume as a verb (transitive):

    To completely occupy the thoughts or attention of.

    Examples:

    "Desire consumed him."

  4. Consume as a verb (transitive):

    To destroy completely.

    Examples:

    "The building was consumed by fire."

  5. Consume as a verb (intransitive, obsolete):

    To waste away slowly.

  6. Consume as a verb (economics, transitive, intransitive):

    To trade money for good or services as an individual.

    Examples:

    "In a materialistic society, individuals are taught to consume, consume, consume."

    "If you consume this product while in Japan, you may be subject to consumption tax."

  7. Consume as a verb (transitive):

    To absorb information, especially through the mass media.

    Examples:

    "The Internet has changed the way we consume news."

  1. Eat as a verb (ambitransitive):

    To ingest; to be ingested. To consume (something solid or semi-solid, usually food) by putting it into the mouth and swallowing it. To consume a meal. To be eaten.

    Examples:

    "He’s eating an apple. / Don’t disturb me now; can't you see that I’m eating?"

    "What time do we eat this evening?"

    "It's a soup that eats like a meal."

  2. Eat as a verb (transitive):

    To use up. To destroy, consume, or use up. To damage, destroy, or fail to eject a removable part or an inserted object. To consume money or (other instruents of value, such as a token) deposited or inserted by a user, while failing to either provide the intended product or service, or return the payment.

    Examples:

    "This project is eating up all the money."

    "The VHS recorder just ate the tape and won't spit it out."

    "John is late for the meeting because the photocopier ate his report."

    "The video game in the corner just ate my quarter."

  3. Eat as a verb (transitive, informal):

    To cause (someone) to worry.

    Examples:

    "What’s eating you?"

  4. Eat as a verb (transitive, business):

    To take the loss in a transaction.

  5. Eat as a verb (ambitransitive):

    To corrode or erode.

    Examples:

    "The acid rain ate away the statue.  The strong acid eats through the metal."

  6. Eat as a verb (transitive, informal):

    To perform oral sex. To perform oral sex on someone. To perform oral sex on a body part.

    Examples:

    "'Eat me!"

    "I ate his ass."

    "Yeah, eat that dick."

  1. Eat as a noun (colloquial):

    Something to be eaten; a meal; a food item.

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