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.
devote
verb
1
as in to dedicate
to keep or intend for a special purpose I conscientiously devote several hours every weekend to playing with my dog Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dedicate
- save
- allocate
- earmark
- consecrate
- set apart
- reserve
- set by
- use
- set aside
- entrust
- give up (to)
- bless
- commit
- sanctify
- employ
- hallow
- consign
- confide
- apply
- intrust
- bestow
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ignore
- neglect
- misuse
- misapply
2
as in to apply
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
- apply
- give
- commit
- spend
- address
- work
- buckle
- get cracking
- bend
- readdress
- turn a hand
- exert
- engage
- get with it
- busy
- involve
- get one's act together
- turn one's hand
- reapply
- concern
- trouble
- knuckle down
- tax
- wear out
- stress
- exhaust
- put out
- pitch in
- carry on
- hustle
- settle (down)
- plow
- set (to)
- grind
- strain
- hump
- plod
- plunge (in)
- plug (away)
- peg (away)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- play
- dawdle
- idle
- dally
- fool around
- trifle
- fiddle (around)
- mess around
- putter (around)
- potter (around)
- monkey (around)
- dillydally
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of devote are consecrate, dedicate, and hallow. While all these words mean "to set apart for a special and often higher end," devote is likely to imply compelling motives and often attachment to an objective.
devoted his evenings to study
The words consecrate and devote are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, consecrate stresses investment with a solemn or sacred quality.
consecrate a church to the worship of God
While in some cases nearly identical to devote, dedicate implies solemn and exclusive devotion to a sacred or serious use or purpose.
dedicated her life to medical research
Although the words hallow and devote have much in common, hallow, often differing little from dedicate or consecrate, may distinctively imply an attribution of intrinsic sanctity.
battlegrounds hallowed by the blood of patriots