devour

de·vour

transitive verb \di-ˈvau̇(-ə)r, dē-\

Definition of DEVOUR

1

: to eat up greedily or ravenously

2

: to use up or destroy as if by eating <we are devouring the world's resources>

3

: to prey upon <devoured by guilt>

4

: to enjoy avidly <devours books>

— de·vour·er noun

Examples of DEVOUR

1. He devoured everything on his plate.
2. The lions devoured their prey.
3. She devoured every golf magazine she could find.
4. He watched intently, devouring the scene before him with his eyes.

Origin of DEVOUR

Middle English, from Anglo-French devour-, stem of devorer, from Latin devorare, from de- + vorare to devour — more at voracious

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to DEVOUR

Synonyms

consume, eat (up)

Antonyms

renew, replace

Related Words

gut; deplete, drain, exhaust, expend, spend, use up; annihilate, decimate, demolish, desolate, devastate, do in, pulverize, raze, ruin, shatter, smash, tear down, waste, wreck; annihilate, blot out, eradicate, exterminate, extinguish, extirpate, obliterate, remove, rub out, stamp (out), wipe out

Near Antonyms

conserve, preserve, protect, save; build, construct, erect, put up, raise