devote
Americanverb (used with object)
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to give up or appropriate to or concentrate on a particular pursuit, occupation, purpose, cause, etc..
to devote one's time to reading.
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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.
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to commit to evil or destruction; doom.
verb
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to apply or dedicate (oneself, time, money, etc) to some pursuit, cause, etc
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obsolete to curse or doom
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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devotesimple
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devotessimple
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have devotedperfect
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has devotedperfect
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am devotingprogressive
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are devotingprogressive
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is devotingprogressive
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have been devotingperfect progressive
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has been devotingperfect progressive
Past
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devotedsimple
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had devotedperfect
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was devotingprogressive
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were devotingprogressive
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had been devotingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of devote
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin dēvōtus “vowed,” past participle of dēvovēre “to vow,” from dē- de- + vovēre “to vow” ( see vow)
Explanation
Devote means to give to. If you devote yourself to jump-roping, you might be found in your driveway every free moment of the day practicing. Nuns and priests are said to devote their lives to God. A knight in shining armor devotes himself to his lady. If you devote as much energy to your school work as you do to your hair, your grades should improve. If our country devoted to education even half of the resources we pour into defense, we could eliminate poverty.
Vocabulary lists containing devote
Early Civilizations of India, Lessons 1–4
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Schooled
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Chapter 2: Exploring the Americas
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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 order faced particular backlash when a humanoid robot "monk" took part in an ordination ceremony in May, pledging to "devote" itself to Buddhism.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Meta plans to devote up to $145 billion toward capital expenditures this year.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Of course Brunson’s a star—New Yorkers devote hours to arguing over where his face should go on the franchise’s Mt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
He would devote the next 12 years to raising money, hiring experts, improving technology and organizing multiple attempts to push the work forward.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
If you look at the names on your sympathy list, they are probably the people whom you devote the most attention to — either on the telephone, in person, or thinking and worrying about.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
None shines brighter than the “Wellfleet Oysterman,” to whom Thoreau devotes an entire glorious chapter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
Ironically, the film devotes so much attention to the world’s reaction to Davidson’s coprolalia that there’s scant space left over to examine its actual subject beyond correcting the ways the world sees him.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
In all, he said, he devotes four to five hours a day to his one-man enterprise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2026
Citrini also devotes space to the “literal picks and shovels”— companies that will benefit from the capex wave that’s coming as in-demand mining companies will need to replace equipment and invest in exploration.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 12, 2026
He goes out into the fields day after day, and under the blazing summer sun, devotes himself to his canvases.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
"Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable. He devoted his life to defending America, strengthening our alliance and standing up for the free world," Netanyahu said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
Because the booster does not need to reserve propellant for landing, more of its fuel can be devoted to reaching orbit.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
Anthony, pictured with his mother, to whom he was devoted.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Each of the 32 chapters in “Gowanus Crossing” is devoted to a neighborhood personality or an episode from the author’s youth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
He was devoted to his car, a bronze-colored two-door Buick Electra 225, which he referred to with pride as “the Deuce and a Quarter.”
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Plus, devoting a day to taking care of business can be good for your finances.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
He returned in 2004, devoting a summer to making watercolors of the landscape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Tackling the criminal networks behind people smuggling remains a top priority and the NCA is devoting more resources to it than ever, says the agency's deputy director Dan Cannatella-Barcroft.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
“As long as acting continues to open up paths for me to get to know myself, I will keep devoting myself to it,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
Price was not the only one devoting much of his life to attempting to solve the riddle of the mechanism.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
