devote
Americanverb (used with object)
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devotes,
present (3rd person singular)
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devoted,
past participle, past
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devoting
present participle
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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
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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devotesimple
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devotessimple
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have devotedperfect
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has devotedperfect
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am devotingprogressive
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are devotingprogressive
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is devotingprogressive
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have been devotingperfect progressive
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has been devotingperfect progressive
Past
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devotedsimple
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had devotedperfect
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was devotingprogressive
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were devotingprogressive
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had been devotingperfect progressive
Future
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” ( see vow)
Explanation
Devote means to give to. If you devote yourself to jump-roping, you might be found in your driveway every free moment of the day practicing. Nuns and priests are said to devote their lives to God. A knight in shining armor devotes himself to his lady. If you devote as much energy to your school work as you do to your hair, your grades should improve. If our country devoted to education even half of the resources we pour into defense, we could eliminate poverty.
Vocabulary lists containing devote
Early Civilizations of India, Lessons 1–4
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Schooled
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Chapter 2: Exploring the Americas
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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.
See Examples For:
As the economy became increasingly unstable and demanded that moviegoers and television aficionados devote more time to their jobs, the average viewer naturally had less bandwidth for their cultural hobbies.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
“Scammers recognize this and devote a lot of time to develop the trust needed to exploit the victim.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
When mTORC1 becomes excessively active, muscle cells may devote too much attention to producing proteins while failing to clear away damaged ones.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
But whether high-profile technology companies should devote so much of their extra cash to stock buybacks tends to be a topic of heated debate on Wall Street, and that’s true in Micron’s case as well.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Indeed, they are wise and right to ignore it and devote themselves to other subjects.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Mr. Daniels devotes the longest section of “Impatience Is a Virtue” to his election as governor of Indiana in 2004 and his two terms in that office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Strangely, Patterson, an Emmy-nominated TV writer, devotes more attention to the plot than to the play’s psychology.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
In “Atlas,” Natkiel skips that sequel, and devotes only two small maps to the whole first affair, due to its perceived insignificance and limited gains.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
But as funding from cap-and-invest and the climate bond dwindle, the state must increasingly turn to Cal Fire, which devotes only a small portion of its budget to mitigation work.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
California is virtually alone among the states in having a formal program in biological control, and many states have not even one entomologist who devotes full time to it.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
McGee’s devoted following came out in force: Deitch estimated that about 25,000 people visited.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Huerta later devoted much of her time to women’s rights, Democratic Party politics and community organizing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
An entire chapter is devoted to the tale’s many film and television adaptations, Disney included.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Brand told the court: "My entire life has been consumed by these allegations," adding that he had "devoted myself to these matters".
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
He met Nina Petrovna Kukharchuk, a devoted communist who lectured miners on the basics of communist philosophy.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
The user is shown devoting her free time to chopping vegetables for said party.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
After devoting years to the problem, Schlamminger says he is ready to hand the challenge to others.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
The early stage venture-capital firm is devoting a bigger chunk of its focus into the growing defense tech space nationally.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
"Celebrities are voting for the Greek summer!" public broadcaster ERT said on Friday, devoting a report to these stars from across the Atlantic.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
Burt was right when he praised Nemur and Strauss for devoting themselves to something important and uncertain rather than to something insignificant and safe.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
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