device

[ dih-vahys ]

/ dɪˈvaɪs /

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See synonyms for: device / devices on Thesaurus.com

noun

a thing made for a particular purpose; an invention or contrivance, especially a mechanical or electrical one.

a plan or scheme for effecting a purpose.

a crafty scheme; trick.

a particular word pattern, figure of speech, combination of word sounds, etc., used in a literary work to evoke a desired effect or arouse a desired reaction in the reader: rhetorical devices.

a mobile device: Students may not bring devices into the secure testing center.Don't leave your devices in a hot car.

something elaborately or fancifully designed.

a representation or design used as a heraldic charge or as an emblem, badge, trademark, or the like.

a motto.

Archaic. devising; invention.

OTHER WORDS FOR device

1 gadget.

2 project, design.

3 wile, ruse, artifice, stratagem, maneuver.

8 slogan, legend.

See synonyms for device on Thesaurus.com

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True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

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Origin of device

1375–1425; blend of late Middle English devis division, discourse and devise heraldic device, will; both <Anglo-French, Old French <Latin dīvīsa, feminine of dīvīsus;see division

OTHER WORDS FROM device

de·vice·ful, adjectivede·vice·ful·ly, adverbde·vice·ful·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH device

device , devise

Words nearby device

deviance, deviant, deviate, deviation, deviationism, device, devil, devil and deep blue sea, devil dog, devilfish, devilish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use device in a sentence

Rothamer and colleagues tested devices called mask fitters or mask braces — rubber or plastic frames that fit over the mask molding it more closely to the face.
Making masks fit better can reduce coronavirus exposure by 96 percent|Tina Hesman Saey|February 12, 2021|Science News
Today he knows that magic was simply the diversity of a forest left to its own devices.
A day’s drive from Chicago, exploring a very different Illinois|Carson Vaughan|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
That’s not surprising, after all, 85% of all internet users in the United States watched online video content monthly on any of their devices.
A comprehensive guide on using Google Trends for keyword research|Aayush Gupta|February 12, 2021|Search Engine Watch
In others, we get impatient and set off explosive charges or use a powerful sound-making device.
Using whale songs to image beneath the ocean’s floor|John Timmer|February 11, 2021|Ars Technica

New platforms will include slip-resistant tiles, LED lighting, larger digital displays with arrival information and service alerts, stainless-steel shelters, improved surveillance systems and charging ports for riders’ digital devices.
Two Blue Line Metro stations to close through late May for platform work|Justin George|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
I still do find it a tremendously useful device to invent a character and have the character sing the song.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Employees strap a device to their heads and power a helicopter drone with their minds.
Use Your Brain—Control a Drone|The Daily Beast Video|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The extending out of one syllable is a great songwriting device.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.|Michael Tomasky|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They double down on the plot device of a lone visionary opposed by conventional hierarchies.
Why Can’t Movies Capture Genius?|Clive Irving|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So filmmakers usually resort to a plot device to compensate for this absence.
Why Can’t Movies Capture Genius?|Clive Irving|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This takes at first the crude device of a couple of vertical lines attached to the head (see Fig. 4).
Children's Ways|James Sully
That was not the device of a woman who loved—it savored rather of the cool state-craft of a Lucrezia Borgia.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
This would be a device for helping him to revive this hitherto unrecallable name.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
By a device resorted to in each separate case to help make a more vivid First Impression.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
It is the fashion there to regard it merely as a device to help an incompetent organist.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for device

device

/ (dɪˈvaɪs) /

noun

a machine or tool used for a specific task; contrivance

euphemistic a bomb

a plan or plot, esp a clever or evil one; scheme; trick

any ornamental pattern or picture, as in embroidery

computer hardware that is designed for a specific function

a written, printed, or painted design or figure, used as a heraldic sign, emblem, trademark, etc

a particular pattern of words, figures of speech, etc, used in literature to produce an effect on the reader

archaic the act or process of planning or devising

leave someone to his own devices to leave someone alone to do as he wishes

Word Origin for device

C13: from Old French devis purpose, contrivance and devise difference, intention, from deviser to divide, control; see devise

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with device

device

see leave to someone's own devices.

device

OTHER WORDS FOR device

Origin of device

OTHER WORDS FROM device

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH device

Words nearby device

Words related to device

How to use device in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for device

Word Origin for device

Other Idioms and Phrases with device