: the most powerful spirit of evil in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam who is often represented as the ruler of hell
informal
1
—used to make a statement or question more forceful
What the devil are you talking about?
Where the devil have you been?
2
: something that is very difficult or that causes a lot of trouble
The shoes look great, but they're the devil to walk in.
Examples of the Devil in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Newsweek Staff, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
Notable examples include Late Night with the Devil, starring David Dastmalchian, In a Violent Nature (IFC/Shudder), and Nicolas Cage’s Arcadian (RLJE/Shudder), to name just a few.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Nov. 2024
Lucifer plays extremely fast and loose with its Vertigo source material — the show merely adopts its premise of the Devil abandoning his job to run a nightclub and then runs off in its own direction.
—Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
One of them [Delbert Trew] runs the Devil’s Rope museum.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for the Devil 
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Noun
That description doesn't do justice for a work of magical realism in which the Devil travels to Moscow with a talking cat named Behemoth, who loves chess and vodka.
—Newsweek Staff, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
Notable examples include Late Night with the Devil, starring David Dastmalchian, In a Violent Nature (IFC/Shudder), and Nicolas Cage’s Arcadian (RLJE/Shudder), to name just a few.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Nov. 2024
Lucifer plays extremely fast and loose with its Vertigo source material — the show merely adopts its premise of the Devil abandoning his job to run a nightclub and then runs off in its own direction.
—Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
One of them [Delbert Trew] runs the Devil’s Rope museum.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for the Devil
Dictionary Entries Near the Devil
Cite this Entry
“The Devil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20Devil. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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