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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spending
to make complete use of
a catastrophic medical event that devoured their savings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
The canines ripped through tough hides, devouring high-fat tissue and leaving carcasses with soft meat on the bone—a perfect meal for ravens who seemed to follow the kill.
—Nidhi Sharma, Popular Science, 12 Mar. 2026
Early in the premiere, M brags about her party guests devouring her fancy salad.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
Somali immigrants in Minnesota devouring residents’ cats and dogs?
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
In some traditions, a celestial beast was believed to be devouring the Moon.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 2 Mar. 2026
This tool, which is extraordinarily valuable for certain professions, is also a devouring hydra for artists like us.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 23 Feb. 2026
Soon the former nonreader was devouring two hundred books a year.
—Casey Cep, New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2026
At a house party full of caviar, one of the women, while immersed in a motherhood quandary, asks another if there’s something psychotic and untoward in her devouring piles of tiny eggs.
—New York Times, 3 Feb. 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
Rents had finally stopped devouring their paychecks, wages were rising faster than their housing costs, and a generation that had long trailed older Americans in spending growth was starting to actually open its wallet — on restaurants, new clothes, electronics, even travel.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
The canines ripped through tough hides, devouring high-fat tissue and leaving carcasses with soft meat on the bone—a perfect meal for ravens who seemed to follow the kill.
—Nidhi Sharma, Popular Science, 12 Mar. 2026
Early in the premiere, M brags about her party guests devouring her fancy salad.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
Somali immigrants in Minnesota devouring residents’ cats and dogs?
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
In some traditions, a celestial beast was believed to be devouring the Moon.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 2 Mar. 2026
This tool, which is extraordinarily valuable for certain professions, is also a devouring hydra for artists like us.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 23 Feb. 2026
Soon the former nonreader was devouring two hundred books a year.
—Casey Cep, New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2026
At a house party full of caviar, one of the women, while immersed in a motherhood quandary, asks another if there’s something psychotic and untoward in her devouring piles of tiny eggs.
—New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devouring
Verb
-
Amid public concern, federal health authorities have denied any reports of illnesses linked to consuming fish or seafood because of possible contamination.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The biggest misconception about microdramas, the panelists agreed, is who is consuming them.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Despite spending the majority of his life in North Carolina and part of his youth in Charlotte, Miller noted that the 49ers’ campus was completely different from his last time turning off Highway 49.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Newer models have refined the design and added more high-tech features, but the iPhone X offers that iconic modern-day iPhone aesthetic for much cheaper; instead of spending close to $1,000, this model costs less than $165.—
Cierra Cowan,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
When a degraded grassland returns to health, the ground heaves up, as if inhaling with relief.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Humans are evolutionarily designed for hunting and gathering — not for lifting 50-pound boxes for eight hours straight or inhaling toxic dust in an industrial sanding booth.—
Vivek Ranadive,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
No jumping back into draining obligations.—
Tiffany Aliche,
SELF,
30 Mar. 2026
-
When correctly implemented, first-time business owners can avoid many of the common time-draining processes.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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,
20 Feb. 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
-
Turns out their insatiable desire for drama and noise has yet to be quelled, which means their upcoming batch of concerts will be as entrancing as ever.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The minutiae of his substitution pattern at the beginning of a game wouldn’t bruise his ego, his insatiable yearning to shoot the basketball that Denver desperately needed.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Consideration for a draft would only begin after exhausting troops on the ground with the country's active-duty military personnel, such as full-time professional military, including National Guard and Reserves, and any volunteers or enlistees who join after the war begins.—
Isa Almeida,
Oklahoman,
25 Mar. 2026
-
In addition to exhausting reporters and scrambling the news cycle, episodes like this have fueled speculation that people close to the president are feeding off the chaos.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The plush red seats of the Concertgebouw's main auditorium are occupied by students cramming for upcoming exams and finishing dissertations as classical music fills the hall.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Which is exactly why Paradise’s increasingly disruptive flirtations with time travel feel frustrating on a structural level, like the show is cramming another puzzle box inside the puzzle box.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Devouring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devouring. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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