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
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
When Bastian ducks into a bookstore and starts reading a book about a malevolent force (the Nothing) devouring the realm of Fantasia, the narrative comes to life.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Apr. 2026
Outdoor spiders are hard at work, devouring home and garden pests such as ants, flies, mosquitoes, aphids, and thrips.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026
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
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
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
When Bastian ducks into a bookstore and starts reading a book about a malevolent force (the Nothing) devouring the realm of Fantasia, the narrative comes to life.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Apr. 2026
Outdoor spiders are hard at work, devouring home and garden pests such as ants, flies, mosquitoes, aphids, and thrips.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devouring
Verb
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King warned that the war would devour Johnson’s ambition for a Great Society, consuming the resources meant to relieve poverty here at home.—
Mark Conway,
Baltimore Sun,
9 May 2026
-
Matters involving architectural reviews and approvals can become particularly contentious and time consuming for homeowner associations, especially in large communities.—
Nicole R. Kurtz,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Charging documents allege 45-year-old Kelley Ann Haley used the club's debit cards for hundreds of unauthorized purchases and ATM withdrawals between 2019 and early 2025, spending the money on personal expenses, including travel, shopping, and utility bills.—
Caroline Foreback,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
-
That's unfathomably more than in the past election, when spending on the races totaled less than $1 million.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
Verb
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There are no official animal exhibits along the walk, although there are small shelter areas for taking a seat, inhaling nature and feeling nostalgic.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Use caution when working with certain products; inhaling them could cause asthma symptoms.—
Sanja Jelic,
Verywell Health,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Shane Lowry has the distinction of draining one of the more memorable putts in recent golf history.—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Grow crocosmia in moist, organically rich, well-draining soil in full sun to light shade.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
27 Apr. 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,
20 Feb. 2026
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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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The insatiable demand for AI has created capacity constraints for semiconductors like Intel, Nvidia and AMD.—
Lola Murti,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
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But catering to those insatiable appetites has produced a bounty of junk data that actually don’t advance AI models at all.—
Jason Corso,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
Verb
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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
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In some ways, the Wolfpack were already destined for a reset, with veterans like Tre Holloman, Darrion Williams, Quadir Copeland and Ven-Allen Lubin all exhausting their eligibility.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If a dozen new works over four days isn’t enough, try cramming 50 plays by 50 playwrights into a single day.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
1 May 2026
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The Halfday Convertible 2-in-1 Garment Duffel Bag will help avoid cramming extra clothes into your main bag, which usually leads to everything getting messy and disorganized.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Devouring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devouring. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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