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
• eat (up)

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

Finance and accounting present yet another strong case for BPO, as companies can outsource tax compliance, accounts receivable and other back-office functions that can devour time and resources. —Pranav Dalal, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

Even its Revolutionary Guards bear no name of Iran—only of a violent ideology that devours its children and invites war upon them. —Nazanin Boniadi, Time, 17 June 2025

Outdoor spiders are hard at work, devouring home and garden pests such as ants, flies, mosquitoes, aphids, and thrips. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 14 June 2025

Plus that stuff would eventually get devoured by the maw too since AI models could just grab it to train on. —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 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