devote

verb

de·​vote di-ˈvōt 

dē-

devoted; devoting

transitive verb

1

: to commit by a solemn act

devoted herself to serving God

2

: to give over or direct (time, money, effort, etc.) to a cause, enterprise, or activity

Part of the lecture was devoted to taking questions from the audience.

She devoted her life to public service.

devotement

di-ˈvōt-mənt 

dē-

noun

Synonyms

• allocate
• consecrate
• dedicate
• earmark
• give up (to)
• reserve
• save
• set by

Choose the Right Synonym for devote

devote, dedicate, consecrate, hallow mean to set apart for a special and often higher end.

devote is likely to imply compelling motives and often attachment to an objective.

devoted his evenings to study

dedicate implies solemn and exclusive devotion to a sacred or serious use or purpose.

dedicated her life to medical research

consecrate stresses investment with a solemn or sacred quality.

consecrate a church to the worship of God

hallow, often differing little from dedicate or consecrate, may distinctively imply an attribution of intrinsic sanctity.

battlegrounds hallowed by the blood of patriots

Examples of devote in a Sentence

I conscientiously devote several hours every weekend to playing with my dog.

planning a diplomatic career, she's been intensely devoting herself to the study of foreign languages in college

Recent Examples on the Web

The key to successfully bringing family into the C-suite is devoting time and training them and moving each of them up over time. —Ray Titus, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

The Beavers appear more willing to devote every dollar possible to winning on the field during the Pac-12's transition. —Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 1 May 2025

That stance has been questioned more regularly since Trump’s first election in 2016, after CNN devoted many hours of programming to examining the machinations of the Trump White House along with heated question-and-answer sessions with Trump officials. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025

Princess Kate is known for her especially warm way with kids, devoting much of her royal work to children's causes and targeting early childhood development with the Shaping Us campaign. —Janine Henni, People.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin devotus, past participle of devovēre, from de- + vovēre to vow

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing devote

• devote to

Rhymes for devote

• afloat
• azote
• banknote
• bareboat
• benzoate
• connote
• cutthroat
• demote
• denote
• endnote
• footnote
• greatcoat

Kids Definition

devote

verb

de·​vote di-ˈvōt 

devoted; devoting

1

: to set apart for a special purpose

devote land to farming

2

: to give (oneself) up to

devoted herself to her career