devote
verb (used with object)
to give up or appropriate to or concentrate on a particular pursuit, occupation, purpose, cause, etc..
had devoted
-
past perfectof devote.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Yakob and Tatyana, by then in their late 30s, had devoted the majority of their lives to promoting the spread of communism—first in the Soviet Union and then as undercover agents stationed around Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
I was very much in that camp being described by Lee, the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” who had devoted years of her near-century-long life to gaining the day federal recognition.
From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026
For nearly 10 years, Schlamminger had devoted much of his career to measuring big G with extraordinary precision.
From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026
These people had devoted their lives to public service, Brown pointed out during a debate with Whitman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
Roy couldn’t believe how much space the newspaper had devoted to the owl protest.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
