devour
[ dih-vou-uh r, -vou-er ]
/ dɪˈvaʊ ər, -ˈvaʊ ər /
verb (used with object)
to swallow or eat up hungrily, voraciously, or ravenously.
to consume destructively, recklessly, or wantonly: Fire devoured the old museum.
to engulf or swallow up.
to take in greedily with the senses or intellect: to devour the works of Freud.
to absorb or engross wholly: a mind devoured by fears.
Origin of devour
1275–1325; Middle English
devouren < Anglo-French, Old French
devourer < Latin
dēvorāre to swallow down, equivalent to
dē-
de- +
vorāre to eat up
OTHER WORDS FROM devour
Words nearby devour
Example sentences from the Web for devour
British Dictionary definitions for devour
devour
/ (dɪˈvaʊə) /
verb (tr)
to swallow or eat up greedily or voraciously
to waste or destroy; consume
the flames devoured the curtains
to consume greedily or avidly with the senses or mind
he devoured the manuscripts
to engulf or absorb
the flood devoured the land
Derived forms of devour
devourer, noun devouring, adjective devouringly, adverbWord Origin for devour
C14: from Old French
devourer, from Latin
dēvorāre to gulp down, from
de- +
vorāre to consume greedily; see
voracious