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

Astronomers Reveal First Image Of The Black Hole At Center Of The Milky Way By Tom Howarth Science Reporter (Nature) NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled the closest-ever look at a monster black hole devouring its cosmic surroundings. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

While pimento cheese, gumbo, and Grandma’s buttermilk biscuits will always be delicious and devoured down to the very last crumb no matter where they're served, good food is certainly more fun to eat in a beautiful space. —Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 2 Dec. 2024

Madison devours entire sections of Barnes & Noble with her voracious appetite for reading. —Rebecca Loroff, Journal Sentinel, 25 Nov. 2024

Alexander-Walker devours countless books, many of which center on mindset and approach. —Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 16 Nov. 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