DEVOURED Synonyms: 115 Similar and Opposite Words

devoured

verb

past tense of devour

as in consumed

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

as in spent

to make complete use of a catastrophic medical event that devoured their savings

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in inhaled

to swallow or eat greedily the starving villagers simply devoured the relief food

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of devoured Only weeks ago, the most destructive wildfire in Spanish history devoured 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in central Spain. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026 Only weeks ago, the most destructive wildfire in Spanish history devoured 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in Ávila, in central Spain. — Suman Naishadham, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026 Behind Brighton, the other two most devoured by the ‘Big Six’ in the past decade are Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026 Their father devoured his meal, slurping up soup with his right hand and swallowing bread spread with miso paste with his left. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 Suddenly, you’re scooped up, whisked to a perch, and efficiently devoured by a blue dasher dragonfly. — Rachel Sargent Mirus, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2026 Also in line were members of the Plaha family of Santa Clara, who have been fans since son Nihal, 10, devoured a Stan’s doughnut at the age of 1, mother Kassey recounted, laughing. — Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 31 July 2026 There’s a gluttonous amount of food content out there waiting to be devoured, but none of it is like Emeril Live. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026 Likewise in southern France, where a wildfire outside the city of Bordeaux has devoured tens of thousands of hectares and prompted authorities to evacuate hundreds of thousands of residents and summer tourists. — Gerry Hadden, Christian Science Monitor, 27 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for devoured

Verb

Only later did doctors realize that the genetic material had probably come from a mushroom that the patient had consumed, and not from a pathogen.

— Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026
Moisture is the biggest concern because damp tea bags can develop mold and should not be consumed.

— Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of consumed

Verb

While they’ve been spotted enjoying glitzy dinners and events in historic villas with friends in Saint-Tropez and Capri, really, the Clooneys have spent most of the summer at their home on Lake Como.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2026
Instead, he’s spent August anxiously watching the orange skies from his house in the northern Nevada hills through two consecutive and adjacent wild-land fires, the Bug and Hawk Fires.

— Anya Kamenetz, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of spent

Verb

If disturbed, asbestos’ microscopic crystalline fibers get into the air, where they can be inhaled, cause lung scarring and lead to fatal cancers.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 25 Aug. 2026
Ignore Safety Protocols Particular cleaning products can exude strong smells or fumes that aren’t meant to be inhaled and which can be harmful to your lungs and skin.

— Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of inhaled

Verb

Social Security’s retirement trust fund is projected to be depleted in 2032, with the combined retirement and disability trust funds exhausted by around 2033 or 2034.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
The result was a landscape repeatedly cleared and exhausted for cotton and other cash crops.

— The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of exhausted

Verb

Two lawyers can work identical hours in the same organization and experience their jobs in fundamentally different ways — one drained by constant conflict, another by lack of autonomy, another by isolation.

— Malana VanTyler, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
The song is a lesson about the importance of empathy drained of the feel-good reassurance that might let the listener off the hook.

— Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of drained

Verb

That’s a dangerous prospect for any country, but especially for Singapore, crammed into a space smaller than New York City.

— Angelica Ang, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Most of the attendees crammed along the fences, craning their necks and holding their phones aloft on their tiptoes.

— Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of crammed

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devour

devoured

devourer

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“Devoured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devoured. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of devoured

verb

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