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Definition of devil
1 often capitalized : the personal supreme spirit of evil often represented in Jewish and Christian belief as the tempter of humankind, the leader of all apostate angels, and the ruler of hell —usually used with the —often used as an interjection, an intensive, or a generalized term of abuse what the devil is this? the devil you say!
2 : an evil spirit : demon
3a : an extremely wicked person : fiendb archaic : a great evil
4 : a person of notable energy, recklessness, and dashing spirit; also : one who is mischievous those kids are little devils today
5 : fellow —usually used in the phrases poor devil, lucky devil
6a : something very trying or provoking having a devil of a time with this problemb : severe criticism or rebuke : hell —used with the I'll probably catch the devil for thisc : the difficult, deceptive, or problematic part of something the devil is in the details
7 : dust devil
8 Christian Science : the opposite of Truth : a belief in sin, sickness, and death : evil, error
between the devil and the deep blue sea
devil to pay
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Examples of devil in a Sentence
She is a tricky devil, so be careful.
Those kids can be little devils sometimes.
He's such a lucky devil that he'll probably win the lottery someday.
Recent Examples of devil from the Web
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Powered by nothing but soul and a touch of country, New Devils are old souls with something to say.
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The Devils are still looking for a defenseman and could use their forward depth to acquire one.
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First appearing in some variation in the 1800s, the cake had a mahogany look to it that was much similar to devil's food cake.
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But for the most part, fossils were regarded as the remains of gods or devils.
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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — With the NHL draft a week away, the New Jersey Devils are still holding the No. 1 pick and getting ready to use it.
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Uncertainty runs from the Vegas Golden Knights' expansion draft next week through the New Jersey Devils' decision with the top pick in the entry draft to a free agent market that hinges significantly on how much the salary cap goes up — if at all.
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Having a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other is the most common thing in the world.
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My house is made of the stuff of dreams, flitting like ghosts in the sunlight, dust devils meandering without destination.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'devil'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of devil
Middle English devel, from Old English dēofol, from Late Latin diabolus, from Greek diabolos, literally, slanderer, from diaballein to throw across, slander, from dia- + ballein to throw; probably akin to Sanskrit gurate he lifts up
Other Occult Terms
Recent Examples of devil from the Web
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AquaSox win PASCO — Johnny Slater homered as the Everett AquaSox beat the Tri-City Dust Devils 4-3.
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There are two players who are considered 1 and 1A, and so far Devils GM Ray Shero hasn't tipped his hand.
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SHORT-SEASON TRI-CITY (2-1) Dust Devils 9, Salem-Keizer 4: RHP Jose Galindo (1-0, 0.00) turned in 1 1/3 scoreless innings after RHP Will Stillman (0.00) struck out six over three scoreless innings in the start.
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These are just a bit more tangy than your standard deviled eggs.
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And then there were the tea sandwiches, most created with tall chaperones in mind: curried shrimp spread; spicy deviled ham; chicken and pistachio salad on baguette rounds.
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These are just a bit more tangy than your standard deviled eggs — a nice change of pace.
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The first-inning homer gave the Blue Devils a lead in the Class 4A Warren Regional championship game.
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BLUE DEVILS 40, BISON 27: Blue Devils: Matt Niketic (16); Mike Seiff (6); Vincent Lam (4); Fabrezio Tressiera (4); Dylan Oginski (defense); Josh Bassal (hustle).
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'devil'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of devil
1800
DEVIL Defined for English Language Learners
devil
playDefinition of devil for English Language Learners
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the Devil : the most powerful spirit of evil in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam who is often represented as the ruler of hell
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: an evil spirit
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: a person who does bad things or causes trouble usually in a way that is not too serious
DEVIL Defined for Kids
Learn More about devil
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for devil Spanish Central: Translation of devil Nglish: Translation of devil for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of devil for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about devil
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