The Collaborative International Dictionary
Devour \De*vour"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Devoured; p. pr. & vb. n. Devouring.] [F. d['e]vorer, fr. L. devorare; de + vorare to eat greedily, swallow up. See Voracious.]
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To eat up with greediness; to consume ravenously; to feast upon like a wild beast or a glutton; to prey upon.
Some evil beast hath devoured him.
--Gen. xxxvii. 20. -
To seize upon and destroy or appropriate greedily, selfishly, or wantonly; to consume; to swallow up; to use up; to waste; to annihilate.
Famine and pestilence shall devour him.
--Ezek. vii. 15.I waste my life and do my days devour.
--Spenser. -
To enjoy with avidity; to appropriate or take in eagerly by the senses.
Longing they look, and gaping at the sight, Devour her o'er with vast delight.
--Dryden.Syn: To consume; waste; destroy; annihilate.
Wiktionary
n. The act by which something is devoured. vb. (present participle of devour English)
WordNet
Usage examples of "devouring".
The car’s powerful engine consumed the night, devouring miles of darkness and the twisting Laguna Canyon road.
Desperately she tried to lift Jason’s limp body above the reach of the devouring sea.
The China Queen haunted her dreams, a black kikituk leering at her, black fangs devouring Chance’s soul.
She had to go to Chance, find him before the China Queen closed its mouth once and for all, devouring the man she loved.
Restlessly his hands swept back up to her shoulders and then down her arms to her waist, devouring the feminine curves of her body.
His mouth moved over each breast in turn, devouring her sweetly, thoroughly, sucking her nipples taut and then drawing them tighter still.
Hands in his pockets, he circled the table, devouring the bowl with his eyes.
He tried to hold back, wanting to stop time so that he would always be as he was right now, feeling her climax radiate in delicate convulsions, feeling his own power pulsing, pulsing, pulsing, pleasure consuming him, overpowering him, devouring him.
The painting on the wall had the same colors, but it was more elemental, more powerful, sunset like a tidal wave of color devouring the land.
Tasting, swirling, sucking, nibbling, devouring her with the same total sensual concentration he had showed with his kiss.
Something on her wrist sparkled against the overwhelming blackness swirling around her, devouring her life.
Do thou but close our hands with holy words, Then love, devouring death do what he dare.
Adroitly, Zulaya and K'vin chose a position so that they could also keep a weather eye on the newly-hatched, who, with the help of their riders, were rapidly devouring the piles of cut meat prepared for their initial feeding.
The grub-symbiote would protect vegetation by devouring what Thread managed to evade the dragons' fire.
The grub, symbiote would protect vegetation by devouring what Thread managed to evade the dragons' fire.