devour

1 to destroy all trace of a series of devastating storms devoured the beach on the south side of the island Synonyms consume, eat (up)Related Words gut; deplete, drain, exhaust, expend, spend, use up; annihilate, decimate, demolish, desolate, devastate, do in, pulverize, raze, ruin, shatter, smash, tear down, waste, wreck; annihilate, blot out, eradicate, exterminate, extinguish, extirpate, obliterate, remove, rub out, stamp (out), wipe outNear Antonyms conserve, preserve, protect, save; build, construct, erect, put up, raise

2 to make complete use of a catastrophic medical event that devoured their savings Synonyms absorb, burn, consume, deplete, drain, draw down, exhaust, expend, play out, spend, use upRelated Words abate, decrease, de-escalate, diminish, downsize, dwindle, lessen, lower, reduce; eat, use; bankrupt, clean (out), impoverish; cripple, debilitate, disable, enfeeble, sap, undermine, weaken; dry up, empty; blow, dissipate, fritter (away), guzzle, lavish, misspend, run through, squander, throw away, wasteNear Antonyms augment, enlarge, increase; bolster, enforce, fortify, reinforce (also reenforce), strengthen; rebuild, repair, restore, revive; conserve, preserve, saveAntonyms renew, replace

3 to swallow or eat greedily the starving villagers simply devoured the relief food Synonyms bolt, cram, gobble, glut [archaic], gorge, gormandize, gulp, ingurgitate, inhale, raven, scarf, scoff, slop, wolfRelated Words overeat, pig out, swillNear Antonyms nibble, peck, pick