From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdevourde‧vour /dɪˈvaʊə $ -ˈvaʊr/ ●○○ verb [transitive] 1 DFEATto eat something quickly because you are very hungry The boys devoured their pancakes.► see thesaurus at eat2 READto read something quickly and eagerly, or watch something with great interest He devoured science fiction books.3 → be devoured by something4 DESTROY literary to destroy someone or something Her body had been almost entirely devoured by the disease.5 to use up all of something a job that devours all my energy→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
devour• When they reached Crete they were given to the Minotaur to devour.• Wendell devoured a large piece of gingerbread, then licked his fingers greedily.• An eagle, perching on a cactus, was devouring a snake.• Rupert, devouring his sandwich with enjoyment, looked at her.• Marsalis renders it with such bounce and joy that he practically devours it.• Whenever possible I devoured local newspapers, trying to get a feel for the politics and social conditions of each place.• Kandel devours novels and magazines.• The seasons would devour one another.• The new fighter plane is devouring public funds.• Those who could not afford to travel, hungrily devoured the pictures in magazines.• After the tennis match the boys devoured the sandwiches in seconds.• However, this sea star, like many starfish, is capable of devouring these armoured animals.• Hundreds of fans will be in the audience over the next two nights just waiting to devour those lines.Origin devour (1300-1400) Old French devorer, from Latin vorare “to swallow” 