devise
Americanverb (used with object)
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devises,
present (3rd person singular)
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devised,
past participle, past
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devising
present participle
-
to contrive, plan, or elaborate; invent from existing principles or ideas.
to devise a method.
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Theater. to develop (a play) collaboratively with the performers.
Based on the lives of women in engineering, the students devised the play themselves.
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Law. to assign or transmit (property) by will.
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Archaic. to imagine; suppose.
verb (used without object)
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devises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
devised,
past participle, past
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devising
present participle
noun
verb
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to work out, contrive, or plan (something) in one's mind
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(tr) law to dispose of (property, esp real property) by will
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obsolete (tr) to imagine or guess
noun
Synonym Usage
See prepare.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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devisesimple
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devisessimple
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have devisedperfect
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has devisedperfect
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am devisingprogressive
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are devisingprogressive
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is devisingprogressive
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have been devisingperfect progressive
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has been devisingperfect progressive
Past
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devisedsimple
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had devisedperfect
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was devisingprogressive
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were devisingprogressive
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had been devisingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing devise
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Walk Two Moons
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The Things They Carried
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The proposition backed by Kolodin does not specify how mail-in voters should prove their identity, but leaves the Republican-controlled legislature to devise the system at a later date.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
During World War II, while working for the government, he had used multiple regression analysis—a means of statistical prediction—to try to devise two stronger alloys for use in military airplanes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Rantzen also found time to devise a new talent series, The Big Time, which launched the career of singer Sheena Easton.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
So I try to devise things that I think will amuse him.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Desdemona had to devise elaborate ruses to satisfy him, telling him that our kitchen was the Zebra Room, only redecorated, and lamenting at how bad business was.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Now we wait to see what “how” Washington devises.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
He oversees training, takes charge of set-piece routines and devises certain patterns of play.
From BBC ● May 28, 2024
She devises a way to beam them better, and gets an answer back, though not the answer anyone would expect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2024
He said he has no problem sharing the carries with the Jets in whatever role coordinator Nathaniel Hackett devises for him in his offense.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 29, 2023
Down on the ground, he devises spectacles for the duke.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Locked in a cat-and-mouse struggle, biology professor Timothy Paustian devised novel ways to catch students turning in chatbot-generated assignments.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Rantzen also devised and presented Hearts of Gold, a programme that celebrated previously unknown people who had been responsible for good deeds.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Costume designer Colleen Atwood devised the ensemble, while Ed Cubberly created the famous fiberglass muzzle, deliberately leaving it uncoated to evoke the look of dried, taut skin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
He devised policy recommendations “for Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction” as a visiting fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, his LinkedIn profile says.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026
Rowan knew that today was his first true test, but not the one they had devised for him.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
A juicy plot-thickener here: The three credit bureaus created and own VantageScore, devising it as a way to pay less for credit scores.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026
Computers have rendered simpler games unplayable, devising perfect moves that always end in a draw or victory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
These credentials are meant to help workers prove they have skills like devising effective prompts or using AI for business strategy.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
Inspired by the sensibility of a tantalizingly idiosyncratic writer-performer, the play offered Greenspan the opportunity to star in a Greenspan-esque work not of his own devising.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
A man who spent a lifetime devising iron bolts and locks understood the value of privacy.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
