device

[ dih-vahys ]

/ dɪˈvaɪs /

SEE 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.

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a granular metamorphic rock.

a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.

a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.

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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

SYNONYMS FOR device

1 gadget.

2 project, design.

3 wile, ruse, artifice, stratagem, maneuver.

8 slogan, legend.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR device ON THESAURUS.COM

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

deviant, deviate, deviation, deviationism, devic's disease, device, devil, devil and deep blue sea, devil dog, devil of a, devil ray

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
The yardstick, the half bushel, and the coining of money are all devices to facilitate exchanges.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 9 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll
Then he bowed himself out, saying that he would return in the morning, and left us to our own devices.
She and Allan|H. Rider Haggard
What skill did she not practise, what devices of taste not display, to cover over the hard features of their stern poverty!
Davenport Dunn, Volume 1 (of 2)|Charles James Lever
A sickening giddiness came over the two Earthians, for there were no devices to produce artificial gravity here.
The Revolt of the Star Men|Raymond Gallun
Is the scoundrel so devoid of devices that he has to go back on an old exploded villany?
Sir Brook Fossbrooke, Volume II.|Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for devices

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

Medical definitions for devices

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.

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device

noun

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Origin of device

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OTHER WORDS FROM device

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH device

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Example sentences from the Web for devices

British Dictionary definitions for devices

noun

Word Origin for device

Medical definitions for devices

n.

Idioms and Phrases with devices

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

device

noun

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Origin of device

SYNONYMS FOR device

OTHER WORDS FROM device

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH device

Words nearby device

Words related to devices

Example sentences from the Web for devices

British Dictionary definitions for devices

noun

Word Origin for device

Medical definitions for devices

n.

Idioms and Phrases with devices