Devour
/dɪˈvaʊər/
Definitions
3 meaningsTo eat (food) very quickly, eagerly, and completely.
/dɪˈvaʊər/
To eat (food or prey) hungrily or quickly.
The children devoured the cookies after school.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're super hungry after a long day. If you devour your dinner, it means you eat it really fast and with great enjoyment. Like, 'I devoured the pizza after the game!'
👶 For kids: To eat something up really fast because you are super hungry!
More Examples
He devoured the book in one sitting.
The fire devoured the entire forest.
How It's Used
"The hungry dog devoured the steak in seconds."
"The lioness devoured her kill after the hunt."
To destroy or consume something entirely, often metaphorically.
/dɪˈvaʊər/
To destroy something completely.
The fire devoured the historic building.
💡 Simply: Sometimes, devour can mean to completely destroy something. Think of a fire devouring a house, leaving nothing but ashes.
👶 For kids: To eat something up so much that it is all gone, or to destroy something completely like a fire.
More Examples
He was devoured by his own ambition.
The dark secrets of the past devoured her soul.
How It's Used
"The flames devoured the wooden structure."
"Jealousy devoured him from within."
To take in or enjoy (something) eagerly.
/dɪˈvaʊər/
To take in or enjoy eagerly; to read or watch (something) avidly.
He devoured the mystery novel, unable to put it down.
💡 Simply: If you devour a book or a movie, it means you really enjoy it and consume it quickly. Like, 'I devoured the entire series in one weekend!'.
👶 For kids: To like something so much that you want to enjoy all of it really fast like a fun book or movie.
More Examples
The children devoured the new video game.
She devoured every piece of information.
How It's Used
"She devoured the latest romance novel."
"The audience devoured every scene of the movie."
Idioms & expressions
devour time
To use or consume time rapidly, often in an unproductive or distracting way.
"He felt like social media devoured his time."
From Old French devorer, from Latin devorare, meaning 'to swallow down, gulp down, eat up.'
Historically, 'devour' has been used both literally (eating) and figuratively (consuming or destroying) since Middle English, as shown in historical literary works.
Memory tip
Think of a hungry wolf, devouring everything it can get.
Word Origin
"to swallow, eat"