DEVOUR Synonyms: 114 Similar and Opposite Words

devour

verb

di-ˈvau̇(-ə)r

Definition of devour

as in to consume

to destroy all trace of a series of devastating storms devoured the beach on the south side of the island

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to spend

to make complete use of a catastrophic medical event that devoured their savings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to inhale

to swallow or eat greedily the starving villagers simply devoured the relief food

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of devour Here are the best of the hundreds of novels King fans have devoured for decades. — Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 21 Oct. 2026 All the while, Alabama decided that fans would not be allowed to set up any type of tailgate until after 12 noon local time today in an abundance of caution for the wind and rain that would devour the area. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026 If the demons find out about her power, she will be devoured. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 Usually, either a star and its companion mind their own business or the star completely and rapidly devours its neighbor. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for devour

Recent Examples of Synonyms for devour

Verb

The people most consumed by the cost of living are the least sure their vote changes anything.

— Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
That approach consumes considerable material and takes time during clearance operations.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026

Definition of consume

Verb

The feature can analyze account balances, transactions, spending patterns and upcoming payments, helping users understand their finances without manually checking multiple banking apps.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026
In reality, 19 was a stressful and lonely time, spent mostly in the libraries of my frigid college town or fighting with my boyfriend in the dining hall.

— Vrinda Jagota, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of spend

Verb

Severity depends on the amount of bacteria that’s inhaled, the strain that’s involved and individual susceptibility, Vanrompay says.

— Rachel Melegrito, Scientific American, 26 Oct. 2026
Apparently Robyn is the only one who has inhaled enough fresh air to recognize the friction.

— Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of inhale

Verb

Some alluvial and floodplain soils can drain well and appear quite dry, yet still meet Connecticut’s definition of an inland wetland.

— Dr. Avishesh Neupane, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026
Fuel that smells sour, appears darker than usual, or shows signs of separation should be drained from the lawn mower and disposed of properly, instead of combined with new fuel.

— Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 31 Oct. 2026

Definition of drain

Verb

Sang-woo, who’d previously refused to drink soju with Ho-seok and Mi-ok, gulps down a fifteen-hundred-dollar bottle of Gaja Chardonnay.

— E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
The customer gulps it down in a single stretch and drops it into a bin – visible proof of his relief, at least for this moment, from the sweltering heat.

— Light Oriye Tamunotonye, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of gulp

Verb

This heats the air dramatically, expanding it and exhausting the hot gas at a much higher velocity than normal.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026
That message resonated with Israelis exhausted by years of war, among them Hila Asayag, 49, whose son has served in Gaza and Lebanon.

— Lior Soroka, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2026

Definition of exhaust

Verb

Meanwhile, the low end is almost entirely carved out, leaving only those higher-register instruments crammed together.

— Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 3 Nov. 2026
In downtown Manhattan, as many as eighty-six people were crammed for three or more days at a time into a temporary holding room on the tenth floor of 26 Federal Plaza.

— Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of cram

Verb

Jesús de Miguel died Tuesday, a day after absorbing a heavy hit by the opposing team’s goalkeeper during a match in Spain’s second division and being rushed to a hospital.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026
Fresco painting involves laying dry powdered pigment onto the wet plaster so that the pigment is absorbed into the plaster and becomes one with it.

— Artforum, Artforum, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of absorb

Browse Nearby Words

devotions

devour

devoured

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Devour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devour. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of devour

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

cockamamie

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes