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
The species is a smaller and shorter-spined cousin of the purple urchins devouring kelp forests.
—
Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2024
Such is the unpredictability and uneven nature of the emergence of the 17-year life cycle insect that will devour young trees, but is not dangerous – maybe just annoying – to humans.
—Steve Lord, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2024
The author, who’d read all of Crichton’s books, devoured the available pages, which included the book’s protagonist, Mac, and the twin crises driving the plot.
—Annabel Gutterman, TIME, 24 May 2024
In the dialogue-free film, a flood is coming, quickly devouring everything on its way: including Cat’s home.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 15 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for devour 
Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2024
Such is the unpredictability and uneven nature of the emergence of the 17-year life cycle insect that will devour young trees, but is not dangerous – maybe just annoying – to humans.
—Steve Lord, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2024
The author, who’d read all of Crichton’s books, devoured the available pages, which included the book’s protagonist, Mac, and the twin crises driving the plot.
—Annabel Gutterman, TIME, 24 May 2024
In the dialogue-free film, a flood is coming, quickly devouring everything on its way: including Cat’s home.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 15 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for devour
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 6 Jun. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share