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
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
See All Example Sentences for devour
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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
See All Example Sentences for devour
Cite this Entry
“Devour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devour. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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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