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

Dislodged aphids rarely find their way back up and are often devoured by spiders and ground beetles. —Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025

For decades, they were cast as invasive predators in American dining, displacing or devouring the small restaurants that came before. —Meghan McCarron Phil Donohue, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025

The wasp larvae will hatch, then devour either all the young bees or all their food. —Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025

Fire at the campsite, flames devouring the promise of marshmallows. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for devour

• bower
• cower
• dour
• flour
• flower
• fower
• glower
• hour
• our
• power
• scour
• shower

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