devour

1 of 2

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

devourer

2 of 2

noun

de·​vour·​er

-au̇rə(r)

plural -s

: one that devours: such as

a

: a gluttonous eater

b

: a destructive agent : destroyer

c

: an avid reader

Synonyms of devour

Verb

• consume

Examples of devour in a Sentence

Verb

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

Verb

Only weeks ago, the most destructive wildfire in Spanish history devoured 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in central Spain. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026

Only weeks ago, the most destructive wildfire in Spanish history devoured 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in Ávila, in central Spain. — Suman Naishadham, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026

Behind Brighton, the other two most devoured by the ‘Big Six’ in the past decade are Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026

Sainsbury was inspired to create the podcast after devouring hit true crime pods like Serial, The Teacher’s Pet and Amanda Knox’s Blood Money and realizing there was a clear parody angle. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun

Middle English, from devouren + -er

First Known Use

Verb

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