devour

verb

de·​vour di-ˈvau̇(-ə)r 

dē-

devoured; devouring; devours

transitive verb

1

: to eat up greedily or ravenously

devoured the turkey and mashed potatoes

2

: to use up or destroy as if by eating

We are devouring the world's resources.

3

: to prey upon

devoured by guilt

4

: to enjoy avidly

devours books

devourer noun

Synonyms

• consume
• eat (up)

Examples of devour in a Sentence

He devoured everything on his plate.

The lions devoured their prey.

She devoured every golf magazine she could find.

He watched intently, devouring the scene before him with his eyes.

Recent Examples on the Web

However, library patrons continue to devour non-digital media. —Katie Lauer, Mercury News, 7 May 2025

The dog's eagerness to devour the strawberry could be down to genetics, according to a Cambridge University study published in Cell Metabolism back in May 2016. —Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025

There are formidable breakfast burritos to be devoured all over Greater Los Angeles and Orange County. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025

Talk about turnarounds: Hollywood is getting high marks this week for two timely hits that are being devoured by Gen Z audiences worldwide. —Peter Bart, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French devour-, stem of devorer, from Latin devorare, from de- + vorare to devour — more at voracious

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for devour

• bower
• cower
• dour
• flour
• flower
• fower
• glower
• hour
• our
• power
• scour
• shower

Kids Definition

devour

verb

de·​vour di-ˈvau̇(ə)r 

1

: to eat up greedily or hungrily

devoured everything on his plate

2

: to use up or destroy as if by eating

fire devoured the barn

3

: to enjoy eagerly

devour a book