: the most powerful spirit of evil in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam who is often represented as the ruler of hell
informal
1
—used to make a statement or question more forceful
What the devil are you talking about?
Where the devil have you been?
2
: something that is very difficult or that causes a lot of trouble
The shoes look great, but they're the devil to walk in.
Examples of the Devil in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Armond White, National Review, 10 Apr. 2024
Instead of fearing this feeling and running from it, use this month as a great opportunity to face your inner demons head-on as the Devil card arrives.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2024
Veteran rabble-rousers the Devil Makes Three, Infamous Stringdusters, Paul Cauthen, Kitchen Dwellers, Sierra Hull and tons more lead the three-day event on the main stage.
—Aaron Davis, Sacramento Bee, 31 Mar. 2024
One species, the Devil’s Hole pupfish that lives in Death Valley National Park, dwindled in number to just 35 in 2013 before making a small but meaningful recovery in recent years.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Here's how to watch Is the Devil's comet going to hit Earth?
—The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024
Late Night with the Devil, his greatest inspiration came from a place that brought him right back to his Dark Knight days.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2024
The debate over using generative AI in movies has reignited, thanks to the impending release of Late Night With the Devil.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2024
In the Devil May Cry series of the 2000s and 2010s, the symphony of on-screen savagery played out across discrete levels.
—Lewis Gordon, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Noun
The unoriginal narrative shamelessly pilfers Parasite, White Noise, Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, Us, Nope, Triangle of Sadness, and even The World, the Flesh and the Devil.
—Armond White, National Review, 10 Apr. 2024
Instead of fearing this feeling and running from it, use this month as a great opportunity to face your inner demons head-on as the Devil card arrives.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2024
Veteran rabble-rousers the Devil Makes Three, Infamous Stringdusters, Paul Cauthen, Kitchen Dwellers, Sierra Hull and tons more lead the three-day event on the main stage.
—Aaron Davis, Sacramento Bee, 31 Mar. 2024
One species, the Devil’s Hole pupfish that lives in Death Valley National Park, dwindled in number to just 35 in 2013 before making a small but meaningful recovery in recent years.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Here's how to watch Is the Devil's comet going to hit Earth?
—The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024
Late Night with the Devil, his greatest inspiration came from a place that brought him right back to his Dark Knight days.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2024
The debate over using generative AI in movies has reignited, thanks to the impending release of Late Night With the Devil.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2024
In the Devil May Cry series of the 2000s and 2010s, the symphony of on-screen savagery played out across discrete levels.
—Lewis Gordon, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the Devil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the Devil
Cite this Entry
“The Devil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20Devil. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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