devote
verb
de·vote di-ˈvōt 
dē-
devoted; devoting
transitive verb
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.
devotement
di-ˈvōt-mənt
noun dē-
Synonyms
- allocate
- consecrate
- dedicate
- earmark
- give up (to)
- reserve
- save
- set by
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 Boaters pay the same fuel taxes as motorists when filling their vessels, so the Marine Fuel Tax Program was created in 1970 to reserve a portion of those taxes and devote them to public access on Arkansas's waterways. 
Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2022 With this type of bias, people see great parenting and assume the person probably doesn’t devote herself fully to her job, or sees great professional achievement and assumes the person probably isn’t a great parent. Tracy Brower, Forbes, 10 July 2022 Those plans initially called for retail development at the site along with the school central office but the effort going forward will devote the site to the school system entirely with the addition of the career tech center. Paul Gattis | Pgattis@al.com, al, 2 Sep. 2022 Richards, a gym teacher, doesn’t have as much time to devote to the game as his contemporaries who play cornhole full-time. Ashley Fetters Maloy, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2022 Or like grooming in other primates, like chimps or monkeys… Emma Chereskin: …where individuals will devote a lot of time and energy into grooming their closest friends to strengthen those relationships. Karen Hopkin, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2022 Now that her professional tennis days will soon be behind her, perhaps Williams will devote more of her time to her venture capital company, Serena Ventures. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 9 Aug. 2022 The Marvins planned to run both races together prior to the postponement of the Crow Pass Crossing but Marvin decided to forgo the Matanuska Peak Challenge and devote all of her energy to trying to break another record. Josh Reed, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Aug. 2022 Councilmember Mike Bonin, another opponent of the restrictions, said city leaders should devote their energy instead toward improving programs that aid homeless Angelenos, such as those that help people with housing vouchers secure an apartment. David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2022 See More
Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2022 With this type of bias, people see great parenting and assume the person probably doesn’t devote herself fully to her job, or sees great professional achievement and assumes the person probably isn’t a great parent. Tracy Brower, Forbes, 10 July 2022 Those plans initially called for retail development at the site along with the school central office but the effort going forward will devote the site to the school system entirely with the addition of the career tech center. Paul Gattis | Pgattis@al.com, al, 2 Sep. 2022 Richards, a gym teacher, doesn’t have as much time to devote to the game as his contemporaries who play cornhole full-time. Ashley Fetters Maloy, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2022 Or like grooming in other primates, like chimps or monkeys… Emma Chereskin: …where individuals will devote a lot of time and energy into grooming their closest friends to strengthen those relationships. Karen Hopkin, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2022 Now that her professional tennis days will soon be behind her, perhaps Williams will devote more of her time to her venture capital company, Serena Ventures. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 9 Aug. 2022 The Marvins planned to run both races together prior to the postponement of the Crow Pass Crossing but Marvin decided to forgo the Matanuska Peak Challenge and devote all of her energy to trying to break another record. Josh Reed, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Aug. 2022 Councilmember Mike Bonin, another opponent of the restrictions, said city leaders should devote their energy instead toward improving programs that aid homeless Angelenos, such as those that help people with housing vouchers secure an apartment. David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin devotus, past participle of devovēre, from de- + vovēre to vow
First Known Use
1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing devote
Kids Definition
devote
verb
de·vote di-ˈvōt
devoted; devoting
1
: to set apart for a special purpose
The land was devoted to wildlife preservation.
2
: to give up to entirely or in part
He devoted himself to finding a cure.
devoting
verb
1
as in dedicating
to keep or intend for a special purpose I conscientiously devote several hours every weekend to playing with my dog Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dedicating
- saving
- allocating
- reserving
- earmarking
- consecrating
- setting apart
- setting by
- using
- entrusting
- setting aside
- giving up (to)
- sanctifying
- hallowing
- blessing
- committing
- employing
- consigning
- confiding
- applying
- bestowing
- intrusting
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ignoring
- neglecting
- misusing
- misapplying
2
as in applying
to occupy (oneself) diligently or with close attention planning a diplomatic career, she's been intensely devoting herself to the study of foreign languages in college Synonyms & Similar Words
- applying
- giving
- committing
- addressing
- spending
- working
- bending
- buckling
- exerting
- busying
- readdressing
- concerning
- getting cracking
- involving
- taxing
- stressing
- turning a hand
- engaging
- reapplying
- getting with it
- getting one's act together
- turning one's hand
- exhausting
- hustling
- plowing
- straining
- troubling
- wearing out
- grinding
- humping
- knuckling down
- carrying on
- pitching in
- settling (down)
- putting out
- setting (to)
- plodding
- pegging (away)
- plugging (away)
- plunging (in)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- playing
- trifling
- idling
- dawdling
- dallying
- fiddling (around)
- puttering (around)
- pottering (around)
- fooling around
- dillydallying
- monkeying (around)
- messing around
- take the easy way out
- take the edge off
- take the field
- take the fifth
- take the floor
- take the good with the bad
- take the helm
- take the hint
- take the initiative
- take the law into one's own hands
- take the lead
- take the liberty of
- take the line of least resistance
- take the long view
- take the measure of
- take the measure of someone
- take the mickey
- take the mickey (out of someone)
- take the mickey out of
- take the mickey out of someone
- take the offensive
- take the path of least resistance
- take the piss out of
- take the place of
- take the place of (someone or something)