devour

verb

de·vour | \ di-ˈvau̇(-ə)r

, dē-\

devoured; devouring; devours

Definition of devour

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

Other Words from devour Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about devour

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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 first-ever meeting between a U.S. president and a North Korean leader was to kick off at 9 a.m. Tuesday (8 p.m. Central time Monday in the U.S.) with a handshake, an image sure to be devoured from Washington to Pyongyang and beyond. — chicagotribune.com, "Summit day in Singapore: Excitement high, expectations lower," 11 June 2018 The second kind of summer reading, though, is the stuff of freedom: These are the books devoured for fun, at the beach, in a tree house or anywhere else that lends itself to the season’s long, languid hours. — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, "Children’s Books: Days When Reading Is the Stuff of Freedom," 25 May 2018 One Directioners are of course devouring the latest tweet, turning the moment into a meme. — Teen Vogue, "Harry Styles Is Getting Trolled for Double-Tweeting About "Sign of the Times"," 8 Apr. 2019 Raging wildfires killed 76 people including small children in Greece, devouring homes and forests as terrified residents fled to the sea to escape the flames. — Kainaz Amaria, Vox, "2018, explained in pictures by women and non-binary photographers," 21 Dec. 2018 With each turn of a card, the next act is revealed, and in a flash the world can end, devoured in the misshapen gullet of an entity beyond mortal comprehension. — Charlie Theel, Ars Technica, "Arkham Horror Third Edition: The classic Lovecraft adventure returns," 24 Nov. 2018 After 9/11, though, Michael sensed emotional burnout surrounding him at his lower Manhattan workplace, while security measures lengthened his commute from Queens and devoured his time with the children. — Jennifer Peltz, Fox News, "'Wake-up call': 9/11 prompted some to move away to new lives," 10 Sep. 2018 At the bar, customers indulge in martini service and devour popovers with butter. — Devra First, BostonGlobe.com, "Your 20-ounce prime chateaubriand is ready for its closeup," 7 June 2018 That money belongs to retirees, but such small balances can easily be devoured by fees or lost track of by their owners. — Jason Zweig, WSJ, "Forget the 401(k). Let’s Invent a New Retirement Plan.," 10 Feb. 2019

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