I understand voltage to be a potential for electrons to be pushed through a circuit.
However, in a battery, you have an electron build-up that creates the voltage. Once current begins to flow, electrons are now moving through the circuit.
Does this mean that the voltage actually begins to decrease as a direct result of current flow? Specifically are electrons "used up" or do they simply lose energy (dissipated as heat in circuit) which leads to a lower voltage potential? Or another scenario, do the electrons, upon returning to the battery, still act as voltage potential to continue to push a consistent amount of current through a circuit despite the loss of energy?
Or is there something else I'm missing entirely?
Thanks.