devote

verb de·vote \ di-ˈvōt , dē- \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of devote

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.

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devotement

play \-ˈvōt-mənt\ noun

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See devote defined for kids

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 of devote from the Web

Some young men dream of devoting their life to making life better for others; Ryan dreamed of cutting healthcare benefits.

— michael hiltzik, latimes.com, "Paul Ryan's congressional career is ending, but his legacy of lies will survive," 11 Apr. 2018
There’s a melancholy feel to the story, despite the hype and energy surrounding the sport Andre would devote his life to.

— bill goodykoontz, azcentral, "100 beers and a lot of heart: 'Andre the Giant' stands tall in HBO documentary," 10 Apr. 2018
Is not one of his subordinates or one of his former fellow attorneys general or any number of the host of conservative Republicans who have devoted their lives to fighting the federal behemoth on issues of industrial environmental regulations?

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "Ethics first," 6 Apr. 2018
Their love of service aligns with Botswana and a honeymoon could even help them find a new charitable cause to devote their time.

— amanda garrity, Good Housekeeping, "Where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Will Honeymoon, According to an Astrologer," 5 Apr. 2018
In 2014, the city stopped its ambitious tree planting program because Downey needed to devote resources to individual trees struggling in the new environment.

— leslie nemo, Curbed, "In Santa Barbara, severe drought is forcing residents to rethink landscape tradition," 30 Mar. 2018
Sidney was truly a unique individual who devoted his entire life to selflessly helping others.

— Sun-Sentinel.com, "Deaths in South Florida: 3/21," 21 Mar. 2018
One troubling implication of that density reversal, Smil notes, is that in a future powered by renewable energy, society might have to devote 100 or even 1000 times more land area to energy production than today.

— paul voosen, Science | AAAS, "Meet Vaclav Smil, the man who has quietly shaped how the world thinks about energy," 21 Mar. 2018
Your week ahead is jam-packed, but take this day to devote to your nourishment.

— micah fredman, Bon Appetit, "5 Meal Prep Strategies From a Guy Who Does It For a Living," 14 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'devote.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of devote

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1586

See Words from the same year

devote Synonyms

Phrases

get cracking, get one's act together, get with it, turn one's hand (or turn a hand);

Synonym Discussion of 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.