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
Related Words
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
- devotement noun
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” ( vow )
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.
There was one whole room devoted just to clothing and shoes and wigs and false beards.
From Literature
The shop is devoted to highlighting banned books and uplifting marginalized authors, all from an inviting, thoughtfully designed space that practically insists you linger.
From Salon
A reluctance of foreign asset allocators to devote resources on U.S. equities then, no doubt, informs Papic’s highest conviction bet: European equities.
From MarketWatch
Moon’s children underlined his devoted faith, which he balanced with his full-time career as a composer.
From Los Angeles Times
All that positivity, smiling, parades, the unbridled civic joy inspired by a championship…it wears a bit weird, even to the devoted who ride with this tempestuous franchise.
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.
