devote

verb

de·​vote di-ˈvōt 

dē-

devoted; devoting

transitive verb

1

: to commit by a solemn act

devoted herself to serving God

2

: to give over or direct (time, money, effort, etc.) to a cause, enterprise, or activity

Part of the lecture was devoted to taking questions from the audience.

She devoted her life to public service.

devotement

di-ˈvōt-mənt 

dē-

noun

Synonyms

• dedicate

Choose the Right Synonym for devote

devote, dedicate, consecrate, hallow mean to set apart for a special and often higher end.

devote is likely to imply compelling motives and often attachment to an objective.

devoted his evenings to study

dedicate implies solemn and exclusive devotion to a sacred or serious use or purpose.

dedicated her life to medical research

consecrate stresses investment with a solemn or sacred quality.

consecrate a church to the worship of God

hallow, often differing little from dedicate or consecrate, may distinctively imply an attribution of intrinsic sanctity.

battlegrounds hallowed by the blood of patriots

Examples of devote in a Sentence

I conscientiously devote several hours every weekend to playing with my dog.

planning a diplomatic career, she's been intensely devoting herself to the study of foreign languages in college

Recent Examples on the Web

Alaska ranks third, with residents devoting about 14 percent of their monthly income to premiums. —Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025

Now, Koller is devoting much of her time to her lifelong passion for blending biology and machine learning as CEO and founder of insitro, a drug discovery and development company. —Diane Brady, Fortune, 9 July 2025

Jelly Roll will be honored with the ACM lifting lives award, which recognizes a country music artist, duo/group or industry member who has devoted themselves to improving lives through music and is committed to serving others. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 9 July 2025

Because of this, the former should devote more of their time to understanding the technology and researching its uses in their field, whereas the latter should likely avoid employing AI in their work in any capacity, as collegiate policies will likely prohibit its use. 2. —Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin devotus, past participle of devovēre, from de- + vovēre to vow

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing devote

• devote to

Rhymes for devote

• afloat
• azote
• banknote
• bareboat
• benzoate
• connote
• cutthroat
• demote
• denote
• endnote
• footnote
• greatcoat

Kids Definition

devote

verb

de·​vote di-ˈvōt 

devoted; devoting

1

: to set apart for a special purpose

devote land to farming

2

: to give (oneself) up to

devoted herself to her career