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.
The main portion of the show winds down in the 1930s with a gallery devoted to travel.
Christmas is, among other things, an elaborate logistical operation devoted to giving people things they wouldn’t have bought for themselves at prices they wouldn’t have paid.
In recent years, she devoted much of her time to activism and charity work surrounding conservation issues, animal rights and endangered primates and climate change.
In a previously issued tribute, Mr Aman's family said he was a "devoted husband, a loving father, a cherished son, brother, uncle, and loyal friend".
From BBC
Given the current resources being devoted to oil tankers, they said the group can work up the information necessary to submit a seizure warrant to the court in a matter of weeks.
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.
