devour

/dɪˈvaʊər/

/dɪˈvaʊə/

Other forms: devoured; devouring; devours

When you've gone all day without eating anything, you'll probably devour your dinner, especially if it's your very favorite homemade lasagna. Devour means to eat greedily and hungrily.

The meaning of devour has grown to include the consumption of things other than food. If you sit down to start a book and look up ten hours later having turned the last page, you have devoured that book. If your after school job devours all your free time, chances are your grades are going to drop. The Latin root, devorare, means "to swallow down."

Definitions of devour

1. verb

   eat immoderately
   synonyms: consume, down, go through

   type of:

   eat

   take in solid food
2. verb

   eat greedily
   “he devoured three sandwiches”

   synonyms: guttle, pig, raven, scarf

   type of:

   eat

   take in solid food
3. verb

   destroy completely
   “Fire had devoured our home”

   type of:

   destroy, ruin

   destroy completely; damage irreparably
4. verb

   enjoy avidly
   “She devoured his novels”

   type of:

   bask, enjoy, relish, savor, savour

   derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in