devour

[dih-vou-uh r, -vou-er]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR devour ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to swallow or eat up hungrily, voraciously, or ravenously.

to consume destructively, recklessly, or wantonly: Fire devoured the old museum.

to engulf or swallow up.

to take in greedily with the senses or intellect: to devour the works of Freud.

to absorb or engross wholly: a mind devoured by fears.

Origin of devour

1275–1325; Middle English devouren < Anglo-French, Old French devourer < Latin dēvorāre to swallow down, equivalent to dē- de- + vorāre to eat up

Related formsde·vour·er, nounde·vour·ing·ly, adverbde·vour·ing·ness, nounin·ter·de·vour, verb (used with object)pre·de·vour, verb (used with object)re·de·vour, verb (used with object)self-de·vour·ing, adjectiveun·de·voured, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for devour

The critters have the propensity to devour their babies if alarmed and so require a calm environment for breeding.
Whole Foods Wants to Feed You Cute, Furry Bunnies|Tim Mak|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Before he knew it, he had more animals on his hands than his snakes could devour.
The Weird Underground World of Urban Animal Husbandry|Dale Eisinger|May 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Or, some of us (many of us), devour 14 in a row with breaks just for bathroom and answering the door for the delivery man.
Why We Binge-Watch Television|Kevin Fallon|January 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I am more determined than ever to get into Gaza just so I can sit on the beach and devour this Bedouin feast with my hands.
Watching Anthony Bourdain in Palestine|Maysoon Zayid|September 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST

You get the sense that they want to eat each other, to devour each other.
The Stars of ‘Blue is the Warmest Color’ On the Riveting Lesbian Love Story|Marlow Stern|September 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I shudder when I see them brandish their knives in act to carve, and look on them as savages that devour one another.
Hours in a Library, Volume I. (of III.)|Leslie Stephen
He is also called destroyer; and is said to walk about, seeking whom he may devour.
A Practical Directory for Young Christian Females|Harvey Newcomb
I propose an enigma; only I am not cruel like the Sphinx and will not devour you if you fail to guess.
The Hero of the People|Alexandre Dumas
Among insects generally, there are certain species which devour the contents of the egg of the victim.
Our Common Insects|Alpheus Spring Packard
The great do not devour the small, and none fling themselves upon their neighbours.
Mauprat|George Sand

British Dictionary definitions for devour

devour

verb (tr)

to swallow or eat up greedily or voraciously

to waste or destroy; consumethe flames devoured the curtains

to consume greedily or avidly with the senses or mindhe devoured the manuscripts

to engulf or absorbthe flood devoured the land

Derived Formsdevourer, noundevouring, adjectivedevouringly, adverb

Word Origin for devour

C14: from Old French devourer, from Latin dēvorāre to gulp down, from de- + vorāre to consume greedily; see voracious

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 devour

early 14c., from Old French devorer (12c.) "devour, swallow up, engulf," from Latin devorare "swallow down, accept eagerly," from de- "down" (see de-) + vorare "to swallow" (see voracity). Related: Devoured; devouring.

devour

verb (used with object)

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Origin of devour

Examples from the Web for devour

devour

verb (tr)

Word Origin for devour