devote

American  

[dih-voht] / dɪˈvoʊt /

verb (used with object)

devoted, devoting

1. to give up or appropriate to or concentrate on a particular pursuit, occupation, purpose, cause, etc..

   to devote one's time to reading.

   Synonyms:

   consign, apply, assign

2. 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.

3. to commit to evil or destruction; doom.

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devote British  

/ dɪˈvəʊt /

verb

1. to apply or dedicate (oneself, time, money, etc) to some pursuit, cause, etc

2. obsolete to curse or doom

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Related Words

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.

Other Word Forms

• devotement noun

Etymology

Origin of devote

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin dēvōtus “vowed,” past participle of dēvovēre “to vow,” from dē- de- + vovēre “to vow” ( see vow)

Explanation

Devote means to give to. If you devote yourself to jump-roping, you might be found in your driveway every free moment of the day practicing. Nuns and priests are said to devote their lives to God. A knight in shining armor devotes himself to his lady. If you devote as much energy to your school work as you do to your hair, your grades should improve. If our country devoted to education even half of the resources we pour into defense, we could eliminate poverty.

Example Sentences

Amazon is expected to devote most of its projected $200 billion in capital expenditures this year toward AI.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

The host of that documentary, Steven Emerson, was a former CNN reporter who left the network to devote his career to researching Islamic terrorism.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026

Though AI tools have enabled some employees to reduce tasks to hours, instead of days, they must still devote time to correcting AI’s mistakes or misinterpretation of data.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

"We've learned how much energy we need to devote to this."

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

I will no longer devote my thoughts to Atman and the sorrows of the world.

From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse

Related Words

• allot
• apply
• assign
• dedicate
• donate
• give
• give away
• present