devil
Theology.
(sometimes initial capital letter) the supreme spirit of evil; Satan.
a subordinate evil spirit at enmity with God, and having power to afflict humans both with bodily disease and with spiritual corruption.
an atrociously wicked, cruel, or ill-tempered person.
a person who is very clever, energetic, reckless, or mischievous.
a person, usually one in unfortunate or pitiable circumstances: The poor devil kept losing jobs through no fault of his own.
Also called printer's devil. Printing. a young worker below the level of apprentice in a printing office.
any of various mechanical devices, as a machine for tearing rags, a machine for manufacturing wooden screws, etc.
Nautical. (in deck or hull planking) any of various seams difficult to caulk because of form or position.
any of various portable furnaces or braziers used in construction and foundry work.
the devil, (used as an emphatic expletive or mild oath to express disgust, anger, astonishment, negation, etc.): What the devil do you mean by that?
to annoy; harass; pester: to devil Mom and Dad for a new car.
to tear (rags, cloth, etc.) with a devil.
Cooking. to prepare (food, usually minced) with hot or savory seasoning: to devil eggs.
Idioms about devil
between the devil and the deep (blue) sea, between two undesirable alternatives; in an unpleasant dilemma.
devil of a, extremely difficult or annoying; hellish: I had a devil of a time getting home through the snow.
give the devil his due, to give deserved credit even to a person one dislikes: To give the devil his due, you must admit that she is an excellent psychologist.
go to the devil,
to fail completely; lose all hope or chance of succeeding.
to become depraved.
(an expletive expressing annoyance, disgust, impatience, etc.)
let the devil take the hindmost, to leave the least able or fortunate persons to suffer adverse consequences; leave behind or to one's fate: They ran from the pursuing mob and let the devil take the hindmost.
play the devil with, to ruin completely; spoil: The financial crisis played the devil with our investment plans.
raise the devil,
to cause a commotion or disturbance.
to celebrate wildly; revel.
to make an emphatic protest or take drastic measures.
the devil to pay, trouble to be faced; mischief in the offing: If conditions don't improve, there will be the devil to pay.
Origin of devil
1Other words from devil
- outdevil, verb (used with object), out·dev·iled, out·dev·il·ing or (especially British) out·dev·illed, out·dev·il·ling.
- sub·dev·il, noun
- un·der·dev·il, noun
Words Nearby devil
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use devil in a sentence
Bags as high as half a man, great chunks of the stuff that burn to the devil’s specs, cook an entire nation’s food and consume forests.
As for whether the solution makes sense, well, the devil will be in the detail.
Europe is walking a tightrope with its looming antitrust reforms | David Meyer | October 12, 2020 | FortuneI had no control and I was just spiraling downward and he was just the devil at the bottom waiting for me.
She Was Afraid of Her Lawyer. Then the Text Messages Started. | by Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor | October 8, 2020 | ProPublicaHowever, when it comes to SEO, the devil isn’t in the details or yet another little known keyword targeting and overall research technique you’ve dugout.
A five-step framework for effective keyword targeting in 2020 | Aleh Barysevich | October 8, 2020 | Search Engine WatchFor publishers, the devil is in the shadowy detailsExperts warn that shadier vendors will often tuck unfavorable terms into contracts.
In the race to shore up revenue, publishers are overlooking deal terms | RevContent | September 29, 2020 | Digiday
Wiseman as Samuel is alternately devil-child and a cute young kid.
The West would be wise to think of Putin as the devil it knows.
Can we imagine Stephen Vincent Benet writing The devil and Barbara Boxer?
For both the possessed and the priest-practitioner, driving out the devil can be dangerous to mind, body and spirit.
Pope Francis Gives Blessing to Exorcist Conference | Barbie Latza Nadeau | October 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe says certain books, and even scary Halloween horror movies, tempt people to the devil.
Pope Francis Gives Blessing to Exorcist Conference | Barbie Latza Nadeau | October 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThus was the man left entirely to the devil, not even his life being reserved, as in the case of Job.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature | Moncure Daniel ConwayHe desired his secretary to go to the devil, but, thinking better of it, he recalled him as he reached the door.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael SabatiniI cannot believe that a good God would create or tolerate a devil, nor that he would allow the devil to tempt man.
God and my Neighbour | Robert BlatchfordAs the devil never wanted insinuators, I shall observe, that I learned a way how to make a man dream of what I pleased.
One day she had heard a man say, "If there is a drought we shall have the devil to pay with our stock before winter is over."
Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
British Dictionary definitions for devil
/ (ˈdɛvəl) /
theol (often capital) the chief spirit of evil and enemy of God, often represented as the ruler of hell and often depicted as a human figure with horns, cloven hoofs, and tail
theol one of the subordinate evil spirits of traditional Jewish and Christian belief
a person or animal regarded as cruel, wicked, or ill-natured
a person or animal regarded as unfortunate or wretched: that poor devil was ill for months
a person or animal regarded as clever, daring, mischievous, or energetic
informal something difficult or annoying
Christian Science the opposite of truth; an error, lie, or false belief in sin, sickness, and death
(in Malaysia) a ghost
a portable furnace or brazier, esp one used in road-making or one used by plumbers: Compare salamander (def. 7)
any of various mechanical devices, usually with teeth, such as a machine for making wooden screws or a rag-tearing machine
See printer's devil
law (in England) a junior barrister who does work for another in order to gain experience, usually for a half fee
meteorol a small whirlwind in arid areas that raises dust or sand in a column
between the devil and the deep blue sea between equally undesirable alternatives
devil of informal (intensifier): a devil of a fine horse
give the devil his due to acknowledge the talent or the success of an opponent or unpleasant person
go to the devil
to fail or become dissipated
(interjection) used to express annoyance with the person causing it
like the devil with great speed, determination, etc
play the devil with informal to make much worse; upset considerably: the damp plays the devil with my rheumatism
raise the devil
to cause a commotion
to make a great protest
talk of the devil! or speak of the devil! (interjection) used when an absent person who has been the subject of conversation appears
the devil! (intensifier :)
used in such phrases as what the devil, where the devil, etc
an exclamation of anger, surprise, disgust, etc
the devil's own a very difficult or problematic (thing)
the devil take the hindmost or let the devil take the hindmost look after oneself and leave others to their fate
the devil to pay problems or trouble to be faced as a consequence of an action
the very devil something very difficult or awkward
(tr) to prepare (esp meat, poultry, or fish) by coating with a highly flavoured spiced paste or mixture of condiments before cooking
(tr) to tear (rags) with a devil
(intr) to serve as a printer's devil
(intr) mainly British to do hackwork, esp for a lawyer or author; perform arduous tasks, often without pay or recognition of one's services
(tr) US informal to harass, vex, torment, etc
Origin of devil
1Collins 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 devil
In addition to the idioms beginning with devil
- devil and deep blue sea
- devil of a
- devil take the hindmost, the
- devil to pay, the
also see:
- between a rock and a hard place (devil and deep blue sea)
- full of it (the devil)
- give someone hell (the devil)
- give the devil his due
- go to hell (the devil)
- luck of the devil
- play the devil with
- raise Cain (the devil)
- speak of the devil
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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