device

[dih-vahys]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR device 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.

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

Related formsde·vice·ful, adjectivede·vice·ful·ly, adverbde·vice·ful·ness, noun

Can be confuseddevice devise

Synonyms for device

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR device ON THESAURUS.COM

1. gadget. 2. project, design. 3. wile, ruse, artifice, stratagem, maneuver. 8. slogan, legend.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for device

gear, apparatus, gadget, material, appliance, mechanism, accessory, machine, equipment, design, method, strategy, creation, agent, invention, gimmick, arrangement, rigging, makeshift, resort

Examples from the Web for device

Contemporary Examples of device

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
In that case the device was to put the genius in opposition to a majority of established cultural tastes and codes.
Why Can’t Movies Capture Genius?
Clive Irving
December 14, 2014
Once a month he attaches a device to his chest, clamps metal bracelets on his wrists, and hooks the whole thing up to a telephone.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
Paul has consistently used Benghazi as a device to stake out high ground on foreign policy.
Rand Paul Won’t Let Benghazi Die
Olivia Nuzzi
December 2, 2014
Now you can scroll to the next direction on your recipe without getting batter or sauce all over your device.
The Daily Beast’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: For the Richard Hendriks in Your Life
Allison McNearney
November 29, 2014

Historical Examples of device

If the oven is to be used, a device that fits the oven should be employed.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
In using this device, only a coal or a wood stove is practical.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
They used every device of ingenious minds to push the siege.
The Rock of Chickamauga
Joseph A. Altsheler
He was about to slip the device into his pocket when he stiffened involuntarily.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, November, 1930
Various
The Pilot's Assister is the official name of the new English device.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, November, 1930
Various

British Dictionary definitions for device

device

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

Word Origin and History for device

late 13c., from Old French devis "division, separation, disposition, wish, desire; coat of arms, emblem; last will," from deviser "to divide, distribute" (see devise). Sense of "method by which something is divided" arose in French and led to modern meaning.

device in Medicine

device

[dĭ-vīs′]

n.

A contrivance or an invention serving a particular purpose, especially a machine used to perform one or more relatively simple tasks.

Idioms and Phrases with device

device

see leave to someone's own devices.