devour

verb

de·​vour di-ˈvau̇(-ə)r 

dē-

devoured; devouring; devours

transitive verb

1

: to eat up greedily or ravenously

devoured the turkey and mashed potatoes

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

devourer noun

Synonyms

• consume

Examples of devour in a Sentence

He devoured everything on his plate.

The lions devoured their prey.

She devoured every golf magazine she could find.

He watched intently, devouring the scene before him with his eyes.

Recent Examples on the Web

The tariff laboratory that is Walmart showed that inflationary tariffs would be muted: some eaten by the manufacturer, some devoured by Walmart, and the rest served up to the consumer. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025

The time to devour infinite onion rings and chips and salsa with your hot wings is now. —Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025

The general assumption was instead that the swamp had been devoured to its skeletal minimum and that the rats had migrated farther north, where there was better eating to be had. —Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025

This classic casserole is a great way to upgrade the beloved potato puffs for a dish the whole family will devour. —Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for devour

• bower
• cower
• dour
• flour
• flower
• fower
• glower
• hour
• our
• power
• scour
• shower

Kids Definition

devour

verb

de·​vour di-ˈvau̇(ə)r 

1

: to eat up greedily or hungrily

devoured everything on his plate

2

: to use up or destroy as if by eating

fire devoured the barn

3

: to enjoy eagerly

devour a book