as in gobbling
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1
as in consuming
to destroy all trace of
a series of devastating storms devoured the beach on the south side of the island
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spending
to make complete use of
a catastrophic medical event that devoured their savings
Synonyms & Similar Words
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3
as in inhaling
to swallow or eat greedily
the starving villagers simply devoured the relief food
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of devouring
Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Mar. 2026
Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Videos posted by Aurora Fire Rescue showed fire devouring the roof as heavy smoke poured from the building.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 26 May 2026
Snacking can be a mindless affair, like munching on a bag of crispy, salty chips while streaming a favorite series or devouring chocolate chip cookies on the run—treats that appease momentary cravings but leave you wanting more.
—Randi Gollin, Martha Stewart, 23 May 2026
Picture him in his threadbare suit, nervously smoking his Tecla cigarettes, his eyes obliquely devouring everything, his notes on a small table that resembles a pulpit.
—Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
He’s been devouring the genre since, recommending new reads on his TikTok account.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 9 May 2026
Customers have been devouring the plum galettes, which are flaky fruit pastries.
—Kansas City Star, 6 May 2026
Nonetheless, Munden added his own visual flair, with color saturation, distorted close-ups to show the characters’ disorientation, and mesmerizing shots of nature writ large (raging fires, roiling ocean waves, torrential storms) and small (ants devouring a bug).
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Catastrophic wildfires are not new for Chile, but this year’s stand out for how fast the flames spread, devouring an average of nearly 25 acres every minute.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Family drama fueled by Dorothy's world-devouring, man-eating antics aside, Scarpetta is also aiming to separate itself from the competition by leveraging a unique narrative structure that essentially adapts two of Cornwell's books in a single season.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
As the story goes, in the 17th century the dragon nightly terrorized Palma, devouring residents until sword-wielding knight Bartomeu Coch slew it, named it and gifted the dead monster to his fiancée, Na Coca Rossello.
—Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Videos posted by Aurora Fire Rescue showed fire devouring the roof as heavy smoke poured from the building.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 26 May 2026
Snacking can be a mindless affair, like munching on a bag of crispy, salty chips while streaming a favorite series or devouring chocolate chip cookies on the run—treats that appease momentary cravings but leave you wanting more.
—Randi Gollin, Martha Stewart, 23 May 2026
Picture him in his threadbare suit, nervously smoking his Tecla cigarettes, his eyes obliquely devouring everything, his notes on a small table that resembles a pulpit.
—Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
He’s been devouring the genre since, recommending new reads on his TikTok account.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 9 May 2026
Customers have been devouring the plum galettes, which are flaky fruit pastries.
—Kansas City Star, 6 May 2026
Nonetheless, Munden added his own visual flair, with color saturation, distorted close-ups to show the characters’ disorientation, and mesmerizing shots of nature writ large (raging fires, roiling ocean waves, torrential storms) and small (ants devouring a bug).
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Catastrophic wildfires are not new for Chile, but this year’s stand out for how fast the flames spread, devouring an average of nearly 25 acres every minute.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devouring
Verb
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As these energy-saving bulbs became cheaper and more efficient, societies found more occasions for lighting rather than simply consuming less electricity.—
Christopher Marquis,
Time,
30 May 2026
-
With the Strait of Hormuz still effectively closed, top oil-consuming countries have been rapidly draining their reserves, helping keep crude prices in check.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
The idea to create a docu-fiction where a character is inserted into real-life environments to interact with unsuspecting locals came to Ribeiro after spending long periods of time in El Paso as a journalist covering immigration.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2026
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The bottom line As gorgeous as these phones are, that alone cannot justify spending a ton of money on them.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
People typically become infected with the virus by inhaling microscopic particles from these rodents' urine, feces or saliva, according to Stanford Health.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
-
Social media trends are fueling a dangerous form of substance use among teenagers in the United States involving common household and commercial products, including inhaling nitrous oxide, or laughing gas.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
All this self-agonizing left the rest of the cast and crew waiting around for hours, their goodwill draining away.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
-
To save space, grow several shade-tolerant herbs together in a large container (such as a half whiskey barrel) with some well-draining potting mix.—
Rita Pelczar,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 May 2026
Verb
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This viral anti-slip slow feeder lick bowl helps prevent gulping and bloating, while keeping your dogs entertained for longer with a healthy, fun challenge.—
Kasey Caminiti,
USA Today,
25 May 2026
-
Yes, gulping the liquid the night before was an ordeal — try drinking three liters of anything in three hours, going to sleep, then waking up six hours later for one final liter.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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On Tuesday, Cornyn became the latest in a line of Republicans who lost their primaries after falling out of favor with a president with little tolerance for dissent and a seemingly insatiable appetite for retribution.—
Thomas Beaumont,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
-
Plus, there’s an insatiable demand for memory chips driven by AI, and expanding capacity takes a long time.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Sliding effortlessly from incisive observer to chaotic flirt to exhausting narcissist, Firstman is never not in on the joke.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
-
Martinez on Thursday did not discuss details of the plan but said the city was exhausting all its options while seeking more ways to cut costs.—
Abby Church,
Houston Chronicle,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That’s cramming too many homes on limited acreage, especially in an area where traffic is already dangerous because of so many new developments, two neighbors told the board to applause from the Town Hall audience.—
Joe Marusak
May 27,
Charlotte Observer,
27 May 2026
-
Clark agreed with Reinhart’s observations, but warned that the four-day workweek wasn’t so much as cramming a 40-hour week into four days as a genuine reduction to 32 hours, one that respected an employee’s life outside of work.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Devouring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devouring. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
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