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View synonyms for

devour

[ dih-vou-uhr, -vou-er ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to swallow or eat up hungrily, voraciously, or ravenously.
  2. to consume destructively, recklessly, or wantonly:

    Fire devoured the old museum.

  3. to engulf or swallow up.
  4. to take in greedily with the senses or intellect:

    to devour the works of Freud.

  5. to absorb or engross wholly:

    a mind devoured by fears.



devour

/ ɪˈʊə /

verb

  1. to swallow or eat up greedily or voraciously
  2. to waste or destroy; consume

    the flames devoured the curtains

  3. to consume greedily or avidly with the senses or mind

    he devoured the manuscripts

  4. to engulf or absorb

    the flood devoured the land

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈdzܰ, noun
  • ˈdzܰԲ, adjective
  • ˈdzܰԲly, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • ·dzܰİ noun
  • ·dzܰiԲ· adverb
  • ·dzܰiԲ·Ա noun
  • t··dzܰ verb (used with object)
  • d·dzܰ verb (used with object)
  • d·dzܰ verb (used with object)
  • -·dzܰiԲ adjective
  • ܲd·dzܰ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of devour1

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English devouren, from Anglo-French, Old French devourer, from Latin ŧǰ “to swallow down,” from ŧ- de- + ǰ “to eat up”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of devour1

C14: from Old French devourer, from Latin ŧǰ to gulp down, from de- + ǰ to consume greedily; see voracious
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It was the first time Knox was sharing her story in front of a crowd and she asked to meet with Lewinsky, whose writing and public speaking she said she had “devoured” in preparation.

From

My hedonistic weeklong breaks from school were about resting up and devouring novels, my stack of fiction pushed aside through semesters of full class loads and at least one job.

From

By 6:17 p.m., it had become an unstoppable force, devouring nearly 3,000 acres.

From

The roast goose is being devoured with shots of baijiu, a Chinese white spirit alcohol.

From

Urchins devour kelp, which sequesters carbon and serves as shelter and food for a vast array of marine life.

From

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