devours

present tense third-person singular of devour
1
2
3
as in inhales
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 devours Regardless, there’s a clear symbolism to Clark empathizing and embracing a bloated externalization of his own inchoate fury until someone with an outside perspective disturbs his peace, and that fury breaks loose and devours him. Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 29 May 2026 In my experience, urgency devours strategy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Allison Mais, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026 There are Americans—and Britons and Canadians and Australians and Europeans, too—who remember that a society that turns on its Jewish minority eventually devours itself. David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026 Today, the city devours tens of millions every year. Susan Spencer, CBS News, 17 May 2026 His popularity’s decline was shaped partly by race, partly by our deep but uneven revulsion toward scandal involving children, and partly by a media ecosystem that devours spectacle. Steven Gray, Time, 29 Apr. 2026 From her experience, the grasshopper drawing attention in Arizona devours everything in its path, whereas the chapulín is tied to greener environments and specific crops, such as cornfields, alfalfa, and squash leaves. Nadia Cantú, AZCentral.com, 25 Mar. 2026 But May also routinely devours Tool, Nine Inch Nails, and jazz albums from Miles Davis. Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Feb. 2026 But in Washington, politics devours everything, even the sacred. Tara Palmeri, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devours
Verb
  • When the algae die and decompose, the process consumes oxygen that fish need to survive.
    Tyler Quattrin, Twin Cities, 10 June 2026
  • The brain itself consumes roughly 20-25% of resting metabolic energy in humans, compared to just 3-4% in most mammals.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
Verb
  • Magloire, who once dreamed of becoming a professional soccer career and has mixed feelings about the World Cup’s current state, nowadays spends more time thinking about movements on a stage than on a soccer field.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 13 June 2026
  • When a company spends that much political capital warning about existential risk, policymakers eventually act on those warnings.
    Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
Verb
  • The chemical is particularly tough on the human respiratory system and, depending on how much a person inhales, MMA can cause everything from sore throats and cough to dizziness, nausea and, at the highest levels, damage to the nervous system, Kleinman said.
    Sierra van der Brug, Oc Register, 23 May 2026
Verb
  • If the search for a large outdoor planter exhausts you—just get a terra-cotta planter.
    Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 6 Apr. 2026
  • As the oil blockade quickly exhausts Cuba’s supply of fuel, triggering a series of lengthy, island-wide blackouts, many here are exhausted and are becoming increasingly vocal about their desire for fundamental changes in Cuba.
    Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • What's more, while virtually all VTOLs being developed these days are electric, the Janus-1 is powered by a turboshaft engine that gulps n' burns diesel, kerosene or Jet A fuel.
    Ben Coxworth October 21, New Atlas, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Set a clearer end time today so work supports wellbeing rather than drains it.
    Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
  • Overthinking at work drains emotional energy because your brain never fully relaxes.
    Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
Verb
  • Director Allan Deberton crams much story and characterization in those opening frames.
    Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Instead, the show crams everything into a space that can't hold it, culminating in this past third season that exploded with too much of practically everything.
    Matthew Razak, Space.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Homeowners rely on insurance to pool risks so that no individual absorbs the full cost of a shock.
    The Conversation, Fortune, 12 June 2026
  • Microfiber absorbs four times more moisture than cotton and the nubby texture grabs and holds onto soil until it is washed away.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 12 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Devours.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devours. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.

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