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devote meaning and examples

2025-08-22

Meaning

  • Verb (transitive): to give all or most of one’s time, energy, or attention to a person, activity, or cause.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: verb (transitive).

  • Common structure:

    • devote + noun/pronoun + to + noun/gerund
    • e.g., “She devoted herself to helping the poor.”

  • Often used reflexively (devote oneself to).

  • Focuses on dedication and commitment.

Patterns

  • devote sth to sb/sth
  • devote oneself to sth/doing sth

Common Phrases

  • devote oneself to work/study/family
  • devote time/effort/energy/resources to
  • devote one’s life to
  • be devoted to (adjective form)

Collocations

  • Nouns: devote time, effort, attention, resources, life, career
  • Prepositions: devote to sth/doing sth
  • Contexts: career, religion, charity, research, love

Examples

  1. She devoted her life to the study of medicine.
  2. The teacher devoted more time to weaker students.
  3. He devoted himself to raising his children after his wife passed away.
  4. The organization devotes resources to fighting climate change.
  5. We must devote our attention to solving this urgent problem.
  6. Scientists devoted years to developing the vaccine.
  7. She is truly devoted to her family.
  8. The writer devoted his career to exploring human emotions.
  9. Volunteers devoted countless hours to rebuilding the community.
  10. He has devoted himself to improving education in rural areas.
  • dedicate, commit, pledge, apply, allot, assign
  • (Adjective form): devoted, dedicated
  • Opposites: neglect, ignore, abandon