devote
Americanverb (used with object)
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to give up or appropriate to or concentrate on a particular pursuit, occupation, purpose, cause, etc..
to devote one's time to reading.
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to appropriate by or as if by a vow; set apart or dedicate by a solemn or formal act; consecrate.
She devoted her life to God.
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to commit to evil or destruction; doom.
verb
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to apply or dedicate (oneself, time, money, etc) to some pursuit, cause, etc
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obsolete to curse or doom
Related Words
Devote, dedicate, consecrate share the sense of assigning or applying someone or something to an activity, function, or end. Devote, though it has some overtones of religious dedication, is the most general of the three terms: He devoted his free time to mastering the computer. Dedicate is more solemn and carries an ethical or moral tone: We are dedicated to the achievement of equality for all. Consecrate, even in nonreligious contexts, clearly implies a powerful and sacred dedication: consecrated to the service of humanity.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of devote
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin dēvōtus “vowed,” past participle of dēvovēre “to vow,” from dē- de- + vovēre “to vow” ( see vow)
Explanation
Devote means to give to. If you devote yourself to jump-roping, you might be found in your driveway every free moment of the day practicing. Nuns and priests are said to devote their lives to God. A knight in shining armor devotes himself to his lady. If you devote as much energy to your school work as you do to your hair, your grades should improve. If our country devoted to education even half of the resources we pour into defense, we could eliminate poverty.
Vocabulary lists containing devote
Early Civilizations of India, Lessons 1–4
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Schooled
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Chapter 2: Exploring the Americas
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Devote your stomach space instead to any of the aforementioned dishes, or anything flagged with “cumin” in its title.
From Washington Post • Mar. 17, 2023
Devote five minutes on each, and then use the final five minutes to mash it all together and swing away.
From Golf Digest • May 3, 2017
Devote at least one day to the holiday party that pedigreed, tradition-happy London—more tweedy than tattooed—knows how to stage, complete with all the throwback trimmings.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2015
A major miscalculation by the engineers and management on the Mercedes pit wall had led to Hamilton stopping for fresh tyres during the safety-car period that followed Max Verstappen's violent crash at Sainte Devote.
From BBC • May 24, 2015
Devote yourself to Christ's service, and ‘if any man wills to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine.’
From Amusement: A Force in Christian Training by Vincent, Marvin Richardson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
