devise

American  

[dih-vahyz] / dɪˈvaɪz /

verb (used with object)

devised, devising

1. to contrive, plan, or elaborate; invent from existing principles or ideas.

   to devise a method.

2. Theater. to develop (a play) collaboratively with the performers.

   Based on the lives of women in engineering, the students devised the play themselves.

3. Law. to assign or transmit (property) by will.

4. Archaic. to imagine; suppose.

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verb (used without object)

devised, devising

1. to form a plan; contrive.

noun

1. Law.

   1. the act of disposing of property, especially real property, by will.

   2. a will or clause in a will disposing of property, especially real property.

   3. the property so disposed of.

devise British  

/ dɪˈvaɪz /

verb

1. to work out, contrive, or plan (something) in one's mind

2. (tr) law to dispose of (property, esp real property) by will

3. obsolete (tr) to imagine or guess

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noun

1. 1. a disposition of property by will

   2. the property so transmitted Compare bequeath

2. a will or clause in a will disposing of real property Compare bequest

Synonym Usage

See prepare.

Other Word Forms

• deviser
  noun
• predevise
  verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of devise

First recorded in 1150–1200; (verb) Middle English devisen “to inspect, design, compose,” from Old French deviser, from unattested Vulgar Latin dēvīsāre, for unattested dīvīsāre, frequentative of Latin dīvidere “to divide” ( see divide); (noun) see device

Explanation

To devise is to figure out a plan. Men twirling long mustaches might devise a plan to tie someone to the railroad tracks. To devise a plan is more than just making one; there's a lot of figuring out to do, such as: "Phoebe devised a bus route that picked up kids in alphabetical order." There's a method to the madness of devising. The chemistry class devised a plan to make the fire alarm go off. Devise can be positive, too, meaning to find a creative solution: "The design team devised a plan to make the trailer home look like a medieval castle."

Example Sentences

She also meets a scientist working to devise a simple diagnostic test that could help many women.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Gupta also says that scammers closely track people's online behaviour and use the information to select victims and devise scams that will get them to take the bait.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

What if they devise a not-entirely unfraudulent workaround?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Never formally trained as a historian, Churchill had to devise a method to prepare a serious autobiography while serving in Parliament.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

“A child may devise an elaborate plan to get his or her parents’ attention,” she explains.

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass

Related Words

• arrange
• come up with
• concoct
• construct
• craft
• create
• design
• discover
• forge
• formulate
• hatch
• invent
• mastermind
• prepare
• work out