Consume most closely means:

• A. To eat
• B. To use; to use up
• C. To totally destroy
• D. To save for later

Answer: (A)

Consume primarily means to eat or drink. In everyday use, when you say someone consumed a meal, you mean they ate it. That direct sense fits best here, making it the closest meaning. The idea of using up or exhausting resources is another valid sense in different contexts, but it’s not the most immediate meaning in a basic vocabulary sense. Totally destroying or saving for later aren’t aligned with the common usage of the word. For example, “She consumed a sandwich for lunch” clearly means she ate the sandwich.