devoted; devoting
1
: to commit by a solemn act
devoted herself to serving God
2
: to give over or direct (time, money, effort, etc.) to a cause, enterprise, or activity
Part of the lecture was devoted to taking questions from the audience.
She devoted her life to public service.
Examples of devote in a Sentence
I conscientiously devote several hours every weekend to playing with my dog.
planning a diplomatic career, she's been intensely devoting herself to the study of foreign languages in college
Recent Examples on the Web
Because teams are deciding whether to devote millions of dollars and precious roster spots to occasionally unreliable males in their early twenties, much of a scout’s work is akin to investigative reporting.
—
Dan Greene, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
The show devotes a lot of screen time to the fallout from a particular revelation and the subsequent efforts to smoke out the mole.
—Kate Lavelle, Glamour, 18 May 2026
There was even one elitist host who fronts the least funny talk show on television — and to prove that point decided to devote an entire laugh-free segment on my column.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 18 May 2026
Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year devoted more than $46 billion to the effort.
—Julie Watson, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for devote
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.
Dan Greene, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
The show devotes a lot of screen time to the fallout from a particular revelation and the subsequent efforts to smoke out the mole.
—Kate Lavelle, Glamour, 18 May 2026
There was even one elitist host who fronts the least funny talk show on television — and to prove that point decided to devote an entire laugh-free segment on my column.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 18 May 2026
Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year devoted more than $46 billion to the effort.
—Julie Watson, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for devote
Cite this Entry
“Devote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devote. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
devote
verb
de·vote
di-ˈvōt 
devoted; devoting
1
: to set apart for a special purpose
devote land to farming
2
: to give (oneself) up to
devoted herself to her career
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
