devour
verb
de·vour
di-ˈvau̇(-ə)r 
dē-
devoured; devouring; devours
1
: to eat up greedily or ravenously
devoured the turkey and mashed potatoes
2
: to use up or destroy as if by eating
We are devouring the world's resources.
3
: to prey upon
devoured by guilt
4
: to enjoy avidly
devours books
devourer
noun
Examples of devour in a Sentence
He devoured everything on his plate.
The lions devoured their prey.
She devoured every golf magazine she could find.
He watched intently, devouring the scene before him with his eyes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Stress-free time to spend with Mom now that dessert is done and ready to be devoured.
—
Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2024
Various cultures imagined the sun was being devoured by a celestial animal, or that the darkness was an omen of doom.
—USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
In ancient China, the etchings discovered in Anyang depicted solar eclipses as celestial dragons attacking and devouring the sun.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2024
And in Chinese mythology, the eclipse has often been depicted as a dragon devouring the sun.
—Elissaveta M. Brandon, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
A certain kind of psychotherapist would tell you that any photo is an act of acquisition—the photographer is trying to possess, to capture, to make static—and that the shutter-happy mom embodies the archetype of the Oedipal Mother, who is trying to devour her own children.
—Meghan O'Gieblyn, WIRED, 25 Mar. 2024
Some alliances are nothing more than nonaggression pacts that allow predators to devour their prey rather than devouring one another.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2024
From Lebanon, Marseille, and Puglia, to Nara, West Africa, and Colombia—not to mention towns across the U.S.— readers have a few months to devour this new issue before the Fall/Winter edition hits stands later this year.
—Kristin L. Wolfe, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
In ancient China, a solar eclipse signaled that the sun was being devoured by a dragon; people would bang drums and make loud noises to scare off the beast and bring back daylight.
—Dan Falk, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024
Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2024
Various cultures imagined the sun was being devoured by a celestial animal, or that the darkness was an omen of doom.
—USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
In ancient China, the etchings discovered in Anyang depicted solar eclipses as celestial dragons attacking and devouring the sun.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2024
And in Chinese mythology, the eclipse has often been depicted as a dragon devouring the sun.
—Elissaveta M. Brandon, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
A certain kind of psychotherapist would tell you that any photo is an act of acquisition—the photographer is trying to possess, to capture, to make static—and that the shutter-happy mom embodies the archetype of the Oedipal Mother, who is trying to devour her own children.
—Meghan O'Gieblyn, WIRED, 25 Mar. 2024
Some alliances are nothing more than nonaggression pacts that allow predators to devour their prey rather than devouring one another.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2024
From Lebanon, Marseille, and Puglia, to Nara, West Africa, and Colombia—not to mention towns across the U.S.— readers have a few months to devour this new issue before the Fall/Winter edition hits stands later this year.
—Kristin L. Wolfe, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
In ancient China, a solar eclipse signaled that the sun was being devoured by a dragon; people would bang drums and make loud noises to scare off the beast and bring back daylight.
—Dan Falk, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'devour.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near devour
Cite this Entry
“Devour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devour. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
devour
verb
de·vour
di-ˈvau̇(ə)r
1
: to eat up greedily or hungrily
devoured everything on his plate
2
: to use up or destroy as if by eating
fire devoured the barn
3
: to enjoy eagerly
devour a book
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