the Devil

1 of 2

noun (1)

: the most powerful spirit of evil in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam who is often represented as the ruler of hell

the devil

2 of 2

noun (2)

informal

1

—used to make a statement or question more forceful

What the devil are you talking about?

Where the devil have you been?

2

: something that is very difficult or that causes a lot of trouble

The shoes look great, but they're the devil to walk in.

Examples of the Devil in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The crash occurred on a notorious stretch of highway known as the Devil’s Slide in San Mateo County, near Pacifica, along the famous Highway 1, which runs the length of California’s coastline. — Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026

While physical disc sales continue to decline, the Devil 2 release is fitting given that the original film’s popularity on DVD along with other ancillaries helped justify making a sequel after two decades. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 23 June 2026

Noun

The other side of the coin here is those who only want to question the integrity of the country, or only want to enumerate its deals with the devil, that’s not healthy either. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 11 July 2026

According to Duhr, the devil was in the details, or at least hiding in the acorns. — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 7 July 2026

Rhymes for the Devil

• daredevil
• sublevel
• bevel
• level
• multilevel