DEVOTE Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

devote

[ dih-voht ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

devoted, devoting.

to give up or appropriate to or concentrate on a particular pursuit, occupation, purpose, cause, etc.:
to devote one's time to reading.
Synonyms: , ,
to appropriate by or as if by a vow; set apart or dedicate by a solemn or formal act; consecrate:
She devoted her life to God.
to commit to evil or destruction; doom.

devote

/ ��ɪˈ��əʊ�� /

verb

to apply or dedicate (oneself, time, money, etc) to some pursuit, cause, etc
obsolete.
to curse or doom

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Derived Forms

��ˈ��ǳٱ𳾱�Գ�, noun

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of devote¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin ��ŧ��ō�ٳܲ� “vowed,” past participle of ��ŧ��Ǳ�ŧ�� “to vow,” from ��ŧ- de- + ��Ǳ�ŧ�� “to vow” ( vow )

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of devote¹

C16: from Latin ��ŧ��ō�ٳܲ� devoted, solemnly promised, from ��ŧ��Ǳ�ŧ�� to vow; see de- , vow

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Synonym Study

Devote, dedicate, consecrate share the sense of assigning or applying someone or something to an activity, function, or end. Devote, though it has some overtones of religious dedication, is the most general of the three terms: He devoted his free time to mastering the computer. Dedicate is more solemn and carries an ethical or moral tone: We are dedicated to the achievement of equality for all. Consecrate, even in nonreligious contexts, clearly implies a powerful and sacred dedication: consecrated to the service of humanity.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Her whole life and career, she said, have been devoted to the furtherance of science.

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She wasn’t so much superstitious as obedient, devoted to making the ineffable routine and mysticism accessible even to the uninitiated.

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Immediately hooked, Power devoted her time to training and travelling to compete in stage races around world.

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Four of the team’s first six picks were devoted to skill positions to surround quarterback Justin Herbert with playmakers.

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A family has paid tribute to a "devoted and much-loved father, grandfather, brother and son" after he died in a crash in Aberdeenshire.

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Related 51�Թ�s

��𱹴ǰ�é devoted

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