DEVOUR Synonyms: 114 Similar and Opposite Words

devour

verb

di-ˈvau̇(-ə)r

Definition of devour

as in to consume

to destroy all trace of a series of devastating storms devoured the beach on the south side of the island

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to spend

to make complete use of a catastrophic medical event that devoured their savings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to inhale

to swallow or eat greedily the starving villagers simply devoured the relief food

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of devour Likewise in southern France, where a wildfire outside the city of Bordeaux has devoured tens of thousands of hectares and prompted authorities to evacuate hundreds of thousands of residents and summer tourists. — Gerry Hadden, Christian Science Monitor, 27 July 2026 Polyphemus The most famous of the Cyclops, Polyphemus traps Odysseus and his crew in his cave before devouring several of the men. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026 New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Missouri were recently devoured into a national fund. — Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 Is there another dish that consumers routinely devour despite scientific research showing each serving takes about 36 minutes off your life, at least according to the University of Michigan? — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for devour

Recent Examples of Synonyms for devour

Verb

Manufacturing meth on-island is pretty much impossible — there aren’t many places to hide a meth lab — so most meth that reaches Hawaii comes from the mainland, as is the case with most products consumed on the islands.

— Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026
Enrico Rivetto, whose eponymous winery produces three Barolos and one Barbaresco, says locally Barbaresco was consumed more often than Barolo because of its greater drinkability.

— Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of consume

Verb

Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of The Power of Habit, which spent over three years on bestseller lists and has been translated into 40 languages, and Smarter Faster Better, also a bestseller.

— Big Think, Big Think, 2 Aug. 2026
Syeda Sultana, chief operating officer at the digital marketing platform Vettted, spent a decade managing a global sustainability program.

— Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of spend

Verb

Put a drop or two in your palms, rub them together, and inhale the calming lavender-vanilla scent for a nice little reset.

— Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 23 July 2026
There's been a drastic increase Fine particulates and gases, including carbon monoxide, are inhaled and can lodge deep within the lungs, causing inflammation and irritation.

— Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 19 July 2026

Definition of inhale

Verb

If the United States decided to send ground forces into Iran on the scale necessary to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, defending those forces could exhaust the remaining stocks of advanced air-defense systems.

— Phillips Payson O’Brien, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026
Both player exhausted their eligibility as seniors last season and went undrafted, but with the new ruling, could find their way back to Orlando.

— Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of exhaust

Verb

Stefanski used that year to cram the Kubiak tenets into an offensive philosophy that started in Bill Walsh’s West Coast style and tacked on pieces throughout the years.

— Josh Kendall, New York Times, 31 July 2026
The MatePad Air crams six speakers into its thin body and, thanks to its big battery, can play videos for up to 16 hours.

— Ben Sin, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of cram

Verb

Often the team doing the steady, protective work behind the scenes is the one absorbing the blame while another team gets the credit.

— ByRene Madden, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
In this method, physicists don’t try to predict how often muons will emit and absorb groups of quarks.

— Matt von Hippel, Quanta Magazine, 29 July 2026

Definition of absorb

Browse Nearby Words

devotions

devour

devoured

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Devour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devour. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of devour

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on devour

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

torpor

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes