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 of devour

• 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 group stage would be a series of blowouts, the sharks would devour the minnows. — Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026

In the spring, arugula is often devoured by flea beetles, so plant it in the fall to avoid the pest. — Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 29 June 2026

His artful trompe l'oeil fruit sculptures are almost too beautiful to eat (devour them anyway). — Alisha Prakash, Travel + Leisure, 27 June 2026

Everyone will devour these miniature buttery rolls stuffed with homemade shrimp salad. — Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 1 July 2026

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