devour

verb

de·​vour di-ˈvau̇(-ə)r 

dē-

devoured; devouring; devours

transitive verb

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

Synonyms

• consume
• eat (up)

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

In Scottish folklore, the kelpie is a shape-shifting creature that lives underwater and can easily devour humans. —Catherine Garcia, theweek, 31 Oct. 2024

Styled as Pac-Man, the figure is depicted on the verge of devouring a blue dot. —R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024

It was eaten then, too: An art student from Seoul National University removed the fruit and devoured it, before taping the peel back to the wall. —Oscar Holland, CNN, 25 Oct. 2024

Drag queens in Mugler-esque bodysuits sauntered around the crowd, and desserts like mini ice cream sandwiches were devoured. —Lea Donenberg, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French devour-, stem of devorer, from Latin devorare, from de- + vorare to devour — more at voracious

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids 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