devote

[dih-voht]

verb (used with object)

devoted, devoting 

1. to give up or appropriate to or concentrate on a particular pursuit, occupation, purpose, cause, etc..

   to devote one's time to reading.

   Synonyms: consign, apply, assign

2. 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.

3. to commit to evil or destruction; doom.

devote

/ dɪˈvəʊt /

verb

1. to apply or dedicate (oneself, time, money, etc) to some pursuit, cause, etc

2. obsolete,  to curse or doom

Other Word Forms

• devotement noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of devote¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin dēvōtus “vowed,” past participle of dēvovēre “to vow,” from dē- de- + vovēre “to vow” ( vow )

Word History and Origins

Origin of devote¹

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

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

I love independent bookstores like Now Serving, which is devoted entirely to cookbooks.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Time magazine has devoted a cover to it.

Read more on MarketWatch

After Giulia's murder, her father describes taking "a very intense look into what was happening around me" then deciding to create a foundation in her name devoted to preventing others suffering as his family have.

Read more on BBC

Dance and electronic music are in a curious place in this fragmented era, with an extraordinary amount of interesting music appearing every week that finds a very small yet devoted audience.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"He was a noted humanitarian who devoted his services to surgical support for doctors in Pakistan and Gaza over the years," Mary said.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• allot 
• apply 
• assign 
• dedicate 
• donate 
• give 
• give away 
• present