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
Between Kendrick Lamar, Drake and even J. Cole, rap fans have been devouring their favorite flavors of beef all month long.
—
Stephen Daw, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024
Otters chow down on urchins, which voraciously devour kelp.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Coast oysters, and devoured that briny goodness… now what?
—Kelsey Mulvey, Sunset Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
The moon slid slowly across the sun Monday afternoon, appearing to devour it whole, as millions of people gasped, cheered and stood in awe beneath a daytime sky turned dark.
—Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 8 Apr. 2024
Simply bake thin slices of salami in the oven until browned, prep the dip, and devour this big-game appetizer recipe.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2024
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
Stephen Daw, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024
Otters chow down on urchins, which voraciously devour kelp.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Coast oysters, and devoured that briny goodness… now what?
—Kelsey Mulvey, Sunset Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
The moon slid slowly across the sun Monday afternoon, appearing to devour it whole, as millions of people gasped, cheered and stood in awe beneath a daytime sky turned dark.
—Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 8 Apr. 2024
Simply bake thin slices of salami in the oven until browned, prep the dip, and devour this big-game appetizer recipe.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2024
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
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 2 May. 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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