devil

American  

[dev-uhl] / ˈdɛv əl /

noun

1. Theology.

   1. (sometimes initial capital letter) the supreme spirit of evil; Satan.

   2. a subordinate evil spirit at enmity with God, and having power to afflict humans both with bodily disease and with spiritual corruption.

2. an atrociously wicked, cruel, or ill-tempered person.

3. a person who is very clever, energetic, reckless, or mischievous.

4. a person, usually one in unfortunate or pitiable circumstances.

   The poor devil kept losing jobs through no fault of his own.

5. Also called printer's devil.  Printing. a young worker below the level of apprentice in a printing office.

6. any of various mechanical devices, as a machine for tearing rags, a machine for manufacturing wooden screws, etc.

7. Nautical. (in deck or hull planking) any of various seams difficult to caulk because of form or position.

8. any of various portable furnaces or braziers used in construction and foundry work.

9. 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?

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verb (used with object)

deviled, deviling, devilled, devilling

1. to annoy; harass; pester.

   to devil Mom and Dad for a new car.

2. to tear (rags, cloth, etc.) with a devil.

3. Cooking. to prepare (food, usually minced) with hot or savory seasoning.

   to devil eggs.

idioms

1. go to the devil,

   1. to fail completely; lose all hope or chance of succeeding.

   2. to become depraved.

   3. (an expletive expressing annoyance, disgust, impatience, etc.)

2. raise the devil,

   1. to cause a commotion or disturbance.

   2. to celebrate wildly; revel.

   3. to make an emphatic protest or take drastic measures.

3. devil of a, extremely difficult or annoying; hellish.

   I had a devil of a time getting home through the snow.

4. 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.

5. play the devil with, to ruin completely; spoil.

   The financial crisis played the devil with our investment plans.

6. 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.

7. the devil to pay, trouble to be faced; mischief in the offing.

   If conditions don't improve, there will be the devil to pay.

8. between the devil and the deep (blue) sea, between two undesirable alternatives; in an unpleasant dilemma.

devil British  

/ ˈdɛvəl /

noun

1. 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

2. theol one of the subordinate evil spirits of traditional Jewish and Christian belief

3. a person or animal regarded as cruel, wicked, or ill-natured

4. a person or animal regarded as unfortunate or wretched

   that poor devil was ill for months

5. a person or animal regarded as clever, daring, mischievous, or energetic

6. informal something difficult or annoying

7. Christian Science the opposite of truth; an error, lie, or false belief in sin, sickness, and death

8. (in Malaysia) a ghost

9. a portable furnace or brazier, esp one used in road-making or one used by plumbers Compare salamander

10. any of various mechanical devices, usually with teeth, such as a machine for making wooden screws or a rag-tearing machine

11. See printer's devil

12. law (in England) a junior barrister who does work for another in order to gain experience, usually for a half fee

13. meteorol a small whirlwind in arid areas that raises dust or sand in a column

14. between equally undesirable alternatives

15. informal (intensifier)

    a devil of a fine horse

16. to acknowledge the talent or the success of an opponent or unpleasant person

17. 1. to fail or become dissipated

    2. (interjection) used to express annoyance with the person causing it

18. with great speed, determination, etc

19. informal to make much worse; upset considerably

    the damp plays the devil with my rheumatism

20. 1. to cause a commotion

    2. to make a great protest

21. (interjection) used when an absent person who has been the subject of conversation appears

22. (intensifier:)

    1. used in such phrases as what the devil, where the devil, etc

    2. an exclamation of anger, surprise, disgust, etc

23. a very difficult or problematic (thing)

24. look after oneself and leave others to their fate

25. problems or trouble to be faced as a consequence of an action

26. something very difficult or awkward

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verb

1. (tr) to prepare (esp meat, poultry, or fish) by coating with a highly flavoured spiced paste or mixture of condiments before cooking

2. (tr) to tear (rags) with a devil

3. (intr) to serve as a printer's devil

4. (intr) to do hackwork, esp for a lawyer or author; perform arduous tasks, often without pay or recognition of one's services

5. informal (tr) to harass, vex, torment, etc

devil Cultural  

1. A bad or fallen angel. (See Satan.)

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devil More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing devil

• 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

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Other Word Forms

• outdevil verb (used with object)
• subdevil noun
• underdevil noun

Etymology

Origin of devil

before 900; Middle English devel, Old English dēofol < Late Latin diabolus < Greek diábolos Satan (Septuagint, NT), literally, slanderer (noun), slanderous (adj.), verbid of diabállein to assault someone's character, literally, to throw across, equivalent to dia- dia- + bállein to throw

Example Sentences

However, "slowly, slowly, you find yourself dancing with the devil," he said.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

“While positive, the devil is in the detail and we await FirstRand’s calculation of the required provision which we expect in a matter of weeks,” they say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

But it’s a good thing the innocents already felled one devil, despite Kelce’s overwhelming sweetness.

From Salon • Jan. 15, 2026

In “The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon,” which was also adapted for television, a cobbler from a small town in rural Alberta strikes a deal with the devil to trade his soul for curling success.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 28, 2025

“You broke it? Well, why the devil didn’t you say so when Frith was here?”

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier