as in gobbling
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1
as in consuming
to destroy all trace of
a series of devastating storms devoured the beach on the south side of the island
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spending
to make complete use of
a catastrophic medical event that devoured their savings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in inhaling
to swallow or eat greedily
the starving villagers simply devoured the relief food
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of devouring
Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Mar. 2026
Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
He’s been devouring the genre since, recommending new reads on his TikTok account.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 9 May 2026
Customers have been devouring the plum galettes, which are flaky fruit pastries.
—Kansas City Star, 6 May 2026
Nonetheless, Munden added his own visual flair, with color saturation, distorted close-ups to show the characters’ disorientation, and mesmerizing shots of nature writ large (raging fires, roiling ocean waves, torrential storms) and small (ants devouring a bug).
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Catastrophic wildfires are not new for Chile, but this year’s stand out for how fast the flames spread, devouring an average of nearly 25 acres every minute.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
When Bastian ducks into a bookstore and starts reading a book about a malevolent force (the Nothing) devouring the realm of Fantasia, the narrative comes to life.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Apr. 2026
Outdoor spiders are hard at work, devouring home and garden pests such as ants, flies, mosquitoes, aphids, and thrips.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026
Rents had finally stopped devouring their paychecks, wages were rising faster than their housing costs, and a generation that had long trailed older Americans in spending growth was starting to actually open its wallet — on restaurants, new clothes, electronics, even travel.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Family drama fueled by Dorothy's world-devouring, man-eating antics aside, Scarpetta is also aiming to separate itself from the competition by leveraging a unique narrative structure that essentially adapts two of Cornwell's books in a single season.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
Picture him in his threadbare suit, nervously smoking his Tecla cigarettes, his eyes obliquely devouring everything, his notes on a small table that resembles a pulpit.
—Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
He’s been devouring the genre since, recommending new reads on his TikTok account.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 9 May 2026
Customers have been devouring the plum galettes, which are flaky fruit pastries.
—Kansas City Star, 6 May 2026
Nonetheless, Munden added his own visual flair, with color saturation, distorted close-ups to show the characters’ disorientation, and mesmerizing shots of nature writ large (raging fires, roiling ocean waves, torrential storms) and small (ants devouring a bug).
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Catastrophic wildfires are not new for Chile, but this year’s stand out for how fast the flames spread, devouring an average of nearly 25 acres every minute.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
When Bastian ducks into a bookstore and starts reading a book about a malevolent force (the Nothing) devouring the realm of Fantasia, the narrative comes to life.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Apr. 2026
Outdoor spiders are hard at work, devouring home and garden pests such as ants, flies, mosquitoes, aphids, and thrips.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026
Rents had finally stopped devouring their paychecks, wages were rising faster than their housing costs, and a generation that had long trailed older Americans in spending growth was starting to actually open its wallet — on restaurants, new clothes, electronics, even travel.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devouring
Verb
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Thankfully, cleaning a mattress isn't hard to do or very time consuming.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
16 May 2026
-
Public health agencies have launched multilingual warnings, including radio ads, flyers, and PSAs in several languages, urging residents to avoid consuming wild mushrooms.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
His lips were sunburned after spending three days leading a group down the Rio Grande.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
Now the company seeks to expand on last year’s win by spending vast sums — putting up more than $70 million so far — on a California ballot measure campaign to cap attorney fees in car crash cases.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
13 May 2026
Verb
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People typically become infected with the virus by inhaling microscopic particles from these rodents' urine, feces or saliva, according to Stanford Health.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
-
Social media trends are fueling a dangerous form of substance use among teenagers in the United States involving common household and commercial products, including inhaling nitrous oxide, or laughing gas.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Plant the cutting in well-draining soil in a 12-inch tall pot that’s about 6 inches wide so the roots have plenty of room to grow.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
19 May 2026
-
More turbulent water draining from the desert via seasonal drainage channels called wadis might have brought others.—
Geoff Emberling,
The Conversation,
19 May 2026
Verb
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This viral anti-slip slow feeder lick bowl helps prevent gulping and bloating, while keeping your dogs entertained for longer with a healthy, fun challenge.—
Kasey Caminiti,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Yes, gulping the liquid the night before was an ordeal — try drinking three liters of anything in three hours, going to sleep, then waking up six hours later for one final liter.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Studies need to be taken now as the insatiable AI march is turning into a stampede.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
-
There is an insatiable appetite for NFL games, which is why the league is exploring cutting new deals ahead of its 2029 opt-outs.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Sliding effortlessly from incisive observer to chaotic flirt to exhausting narcissist, Firstman is never not in on the joke.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
-
Martinez on Thursday did not discuss details of the plan but said the city was exhausting all its options while seeking more ways to cut costs.—
Abby Church,
Houston Chronicle,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But the line is shifting towards the Mediterranean Sea, cramming Gaza’s population into a shrinking strip of land.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
-
Instead of cramming an itinerary, dark sky travelers often build trips around a single celestial event or a multi-night stay somewhere remote enough to actually see the stars.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Devouring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devouring. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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