as in tendency
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing
left to her own devices she'd eat at a fast-food restaurant every night of the week
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Recent Examples of devices
The Natives in his book are largely presented as plot devices, not flesh-and-blood individuals.
—
Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Kennedy wrote a letter to universities in January suggesting 71 topics, including food allergies, dietary supplements, wearable devices, composting and crop rotation.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 5 Mar. 2026
United Airlines is warning passengers to wear headphones when using their devices on flights or risk being removed from their flight.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
According to Motorola, DXOMark ranked the Razr Fold as the top camera among foldable devices and the second-best across all phones in North America.
—Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 5 Mar. 2026
Faisal told Reuters that Shah Alam did not read, write or use electronic devices.
—Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Audio engineers still need to verify their devices’ audio performance as experienced by the end user.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Feb. 2026
These devices limited parking during the snow event and made cleanup more difficult.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 26 Feb. 2026
However, instead of removing the minerals from the water, these devices make the minerals soluble in the water.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Mar. 2025
Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Kennedy wrote a letter to universities in January suggesting 71 topics, including food allergies, dietary supplements, wearable devices, composting and crop rotation.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 5 Mar. 2026
United Airlines is warning passengers to wear headphones when using their devices on flights or risk being removed from their flight.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
According to Motorola, DXOMark ranked the Razr Fold as the top camera among foldable devices and the second-best across all phones in North America.
—Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 5 Mar. 2026
Faisal told Reuters that Shah Alam did not read, write or use electronic devices.
—Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Audio engineers still need to verify their devices’ audio performance as experienced by the end user.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Feb. 2026
These devices limited parking during the snow event and made cleanup more difficult.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 26 Feb. 2026
However, instead of removing the minerals from the water, these devices make the minerals soluble in the water.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devices
Noun
-
Kahn studies automation bias, the tendency of human operators to overdelegate to machines.—
Eric Sullivan,
Scientific American,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Tactics are often cyclical and repeated over time, but the current tendency is very much towards the former.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
What Godoy does have a great aptitude for, however, is video games.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
But the biggest piece of that, beyond the ownership’s aptitude to do it, is the stadium project.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The 11 satellites on board are flying to a mid-inclination orbit.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2026
-
My inclination next holiday is to continue to hand him the cookies and the card but not the cash.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Elsewhere up the middle of the field, Harbaugh has stressed his affinity for Jaxson Dart at quarterback and Dexter Lawrence at defensive tackle.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The president is known for his affinity for fast food, particularly McDonald’s.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
An apology or a gesture of affection will go a long way.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Gomez recalled what the track is about with obvious affection.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There’s an impulse to craft a serene environment using pale hues and white bed sheets, but for those far from the minimalist end of the spectrum, don’t be afraid to take risks.—
Elizabeth Stamp,
Architectural Digest,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Yet the tyrannical impulse of authoritarian populists is the same across the world.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But white settlers found their stubborn dispositions too unruly for domestication and their big bodies too tempting a commodity.—
Christine Peterson,
Outdoor Life,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The disposition of the suit wasn’t clear, though Diagne’s TLC license expired in 2020, a police source said.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Devices.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devices. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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