devote

[dih-voht]

See more synonyms for devote on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), de·vot·ed, de·vot·ing.

to give up or appropriate to or concentrate on a particular pursuit, occupation, purpose, cause, etc.: to devote one's time to reading.
to appropriate by or as if by a vow; set apart or dedicate by a solemn or formal act; consecrate: She devoted her life to God.
to commit to evil or destruction; doom.

Origin of devote

1580–90; < Latin dēvōtus vowed (past participle of dēvovēre), equivalent to dē- de- + vōtus; see vote, vow

Synonyms

See more synonyms for devote on Thesaurus.com

1. assign, apply, consign.

Synonym study

2. Devote, dedicate, consecrate share the sense of assigning or applying someone or something to an activity, function, or end. Devote, though it has some overtones of religious dedication, is the most general of the three terms: He devoted his free time to mastering the computer. Dedicate is more solemn and carries an ethical or moral tone: We are dedicated to the achievement of equality for all. Consecrate, even in nonreligious contexts, clearly implies a powerful and sacred dedication: consecrated to the service of humanity.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for devote

Contemporary Examples

Yet both parties also devote millions each midterm to rally their bases and get out the vote.
Founding Fathers Loved Drunk Voters
Kevin Bleyer
November 1, 2014
“They would not be able to devote themselves so completely to service if they had a husband or kids,” asserts Piazza.
The World Would Go to Hell Without Nuns
William O’Connor
September 4, 2014
You could devote the remainder of your life to the study of Arabic and you'd never truly be able to communicate with these people.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq
Nathan Bradley Bethea
August 31, 2014
You asked us at that graduation so many years ago to devote our personal lives not just to doing well but to doing good.
An Open Letter to Attorney General Eric Holder: It’s Not About Race
Ron Christie
July 17, 2014
When we started the theater, we decided to devote each play to a topic that is intentionally not discussed.
The Belarus Free Theatre’s Badass Dissident Artists Get the HBO Treatment
Katie Baker
July 7, 2014

Historical Examples

To that end we will devote our strength, our resources, and our firmness of resolve.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
How many hours in the twenty-four do you devote to your needle?
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
I swear that, laying aside all other ends, to that sole purpose I will devote my days.
Fair Margaret
H. Rider Haggard
Devote, then, ye mothers of Israel, devote your babes to piety and God!
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. I
Francis Augustus Cox
Shall we hesitate to devote to him whatever he claims, or whatever we can bestow?
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II
Francis Augustus Cox

British Dictionary definitions for devote

devote

verb (tr)

to apply or dedicate (oneself, time, money, etc) to some pursuit, cause, etc
obsolete to curse or doom

Derived Formsdevotement, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Latin dēvōtus devoted, solemnly promised, from dēvovēre to vow; see de-, vow

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

Word Origin and History for devote

v.

1580s, from Latin devotus, past participle of devovere (see devotion). Second and third meanings in Johnson's Dictionary (1755) are "to addict, to give up to ill" and "to curse, to execrate; to doom to destruction." Related: Devoted; devoting.

devote

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Synonyms

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for devote

Contemporary Examples

Yet both parties also devote millions each midterm to rally their bases and get out the vote.

“They would not be able to devote themselves so completely to service if they had a husband or kids,” asserts Piazza.

You could devote the remainder of your life to the study of Arabic and you'd never truly be able to communicate with these people.

You asked us at that graduation so many years ago to devote our personal lives not just to doing well but to doing good.

When we started the theater, we decided to devote each play to a topic that is intentionally not discussed.

Historical Examples

To that end we will devote our strength, our resources, and our firmness of resolve.

How many hours in the twenty-four do you devote to your needle?

I swear that, laying aside all other ends, to that sole purpose I will devote my days.

Devote, then, ye mothers of Israel, devote your babes to piety and God!

Shall we hesitate to devote to him whatever he claims, or whatever we can bestow?

devote

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for devote

v.

Origin of devote