devote

verb

de·​vote di-ˈvōt 

dē-

devoted; devoting

transitive verb

1

: to commit by a solemn act

devoted herself to serving God

2

: to give over or direct (time, money, effort, etc.) to a cause, enterprise, or activity

Part of the lecture was devoted to taking questions from the audience.

She devoted her life to public service.

devotement

di-ˈvōt-mənt 

dē-

noun

Synonyms of devote

• dedicate

Choose the Right Synonym for devote

devote, dedicate, consecrate, hallow mean to set apart for a special and often higher end.

devote is likely to imply compelling motives and often attachment to an objective.

devoted his evenings to study

dedicate implies solemn and exclusive devotion to a sacred or serious use or purpose.

dedicated her life to medical research

consecrate stresses investment with a solemn or sacred quality.

consecrate a church to the worship of God

hallow, often differing little from dedicate or consecrate, may distinctively imply an attribution of intrinsic sanctity.

battlegrounds hallowed by the blood of patriots

Examples of devote in a Sentence

I conscientiously devote several hours every weekend to playing with my dog.

planning a diplomatic career, she's been intensely devoting herself to the study of foreign languages in college

Recent Examples on the Web

With a passion for racial justice, economic fairness, immigrant rights and equality for the LGBTQ community, Michael Caga-anan Aguhar devoted his time to helping community organizations in the Chicago area. —Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026

Education Code 41372 requires unified school districts — pre-K through grade 12 — to devote at least 55% of their budgets to classroom teachers. —Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 5 Mar. 2026

Once retired, Perchik Sery was able to devote more time to reading, writing, painting and spending quality time with her family. —News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026

The next 12 weeks of the runoff will show whether Roy can retool his campaign and devote more attention to Texas after spending much of the primary in Washington. —Philip Jankowski austin Bureau, Dallas Morning News, 4 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin devotus, past participle of devovēre, from de- + vovēre to vow

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing devote

• devote to

Rhymes for devote

• afloat
• azote
• banknote
• bareboat
• benzoate
• connote
• cutthroat
• demote
• denote
• endnote
• footnote
• greatcoat

Kids Definition

devote

verb

de·​vote di-ˈvōt 

devoted; devoting

1

: to set apart for a special purpose

devote land to farming

2

: to give (oneself) up to

devoted herself to her career