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 devices

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 devices

Contemporary Examples of devices

But without any peace talks on the horizon, everyone is now left to their own devices.
In the Middle East, the Two-State Solution Is Dead
Dean Obeidallah
January 2, 2015
Users “should be allowed to use these devices and services the way they were intended,” Brookman says.
How ‘Ethical’ Hotel Chain Marriott Gouges Guests in the Name of Wi-Fi Security
Kyle Chayka
December 31, 2014
Passengers were asked to make sure their phones and other devices were charged so that they could be switched on for inspection.
A Gift to the Jihadis: The Unseen Airport Security Threat
Clive Irving
December 27, 2014
But could it be that these devices are actually bringing us closer together?
Binge Watching is the New Bonding Time
The Daily Beast
December 10, 2014
By the end of the year, the agency is expected to issue similar recommendations for devices already on the market.
How Your Pacemaker Will Get Hacked
Kaiser Health News
November 17, 2014

Historical Examples of devices

She had been left completely, to her own devices when she was not wanted about the house.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
Two devices by which they may be made to stay in the hat are here shown.
A Woman Tenderfoot
Grace Gallatin Seton-Thompson
All my devices of horse-hair and deer-hide snares were foolishness in their sharp eyes.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
It might be that he thought it wisest not to leave her in London to her own devices.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
Have you fought them for ten years without learning their devices?
Old Greek Folk Stories Told Anew
Josephine Preston Peabody

British Dictionary definitions for devices

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 devices

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.

devices 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 devices

device

see leave to someone's own devices.