2 N‑COUNT A device is a method of achieving something. □ [+ for ] They claim that military spending is used as a device for managing the economy.
3 PHRASE If you leave someone to their own devices , you leave them alone to do as they wish. □ Left to his own devices, Osborn is a fluent–and often original–guitarist. COLLOCATIONS device NOUN 1
noun + device : explosive, incendiary, safety, storage; listening, navigation, recording, tracking
adjective + device : electronic, mechanical, medical, nuclear; handheld, mobile, portable; high-tech, simple, sophisticated
verb + device : design, develop, test; detonate, install, plant SYNONYMS device NOUN 1
gadget: …kitchen gadgets including toasters, kettles and percolators.
tooclass="underline" I find the best tool for the purpose is a pair of shears.
instrument: …instruments for cleaning and polishing teeth.
appliance: He learned to use the vacuum cleaner, washing machine and other household appliances.
implement: …knives and other useful implements.
dev|il /de v ə l/ (devils )
1 N‑PROPER In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the Devil is the most powerful evil spirit.
2 N‑COUNT A devil is an evil spirit. □ …the idea of angels with wings and devils with horns and hoofs.
3 N‑COUNT You can use devil to emphasize the way you feel about someone. For example, if you call someone a poor devil , you are saying that you feel sorry for them. You can call someone you are fond of but who sometimes annoys or irritates you an old devil or a little devil . [INFORMAL , FEELINGS ] □ I felt sorry for Blake, poor devil.
4 PHRASE If you say that you are between the devil and the deep blue sea , you mean that you are in a difficult situation where you have to choose between two equally unpleasant courses of action.
5 PHRASE People say speak of the devil , or in British English talk of the devil , if someone they have just been talking about appears unexpectedly. □ Well, talk of the devil!
6 PHRASE When you want to emphasize how annoyed or surprised you are, you can use an expression such as what the devil , how the devil, or why the devil . [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ 'What the devil's the matter?'
dev|il|ish /de vəl I ʃ/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A devilish idea or action is cruel or unpleasant. □ …the devilish destructiveness of modern weapons.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You can use devilish to emphasize how extreme or difficult something is. [EMPHASIS ] □ …a devilish puzzle. ● dev|il|ish|ly ADV □ It is devilishly painful.
de vil-may-ca re ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you say that someone has a devil-may-care attitude, you mean that they seem relaxed and do not seem worried about the consequences of their actions. [APPROVAL ]
de v|il's a d|vo|cate N‑UNCOUNT [oft with det] If you play devil's advocate in a discussion or debate, you express an opinion which you may not agree with but which is very different to what other people have been saying, in order to make the argument more interesting.
de|vi|ous /diː viəs/ ADJ If you describe someone as devious you do not like them because you think they are dishonest and like to keep things secret, often in a complicated way. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Newman was devious, prepared to say one thing in print and another in private. ● de|vi|ous|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ …the deviousness of drug traffickers.
de|vise /d I va I z/ (devises , devising , devised ) VERB If you devise a plan, system, or machine, you have the idea for it and design it. □ [V n] We devised a scheme to help him.
de|void /d I vɔ I d/ ADJ If you say that someone or something is devoid of a quality or thing, you are emphasizing that they have none of it. [FORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ [+ of ] I have never looked on a face that was so devoid of feeling.
de|vo|lu|tion /diː vəluː ʃ ə n, de v-/ N‑UNCOUNT Devolution is the transfer of some authority or power from a central organization or government to smaller organizations or government departments. □ [+ of ] …the devolution of power to the regions.
de|volve /d I vɒ lv/ (devolves , devolving , devolved ) VERB If you devolve power, authority, or responsibility to a less powerful person or group, or if it devolves upon them, it is transferred to them. □ [V n + to ] …the need to decentralize and devolve power to regional governments. □ [V n] We have made a conscious effort to devolve responsibility. □ [V + upon/on ] A large portion of this cost devolves upon the patient.
de|vote /d I voʊ t/ (devotes , devoting , devoted )
1 VERB If you devote yourself, your time, or your energy to something, you spend all or most of your time or energy on it. □ [V n + to ] He decided to devote the rest of his life to scientific investigation. □ [V n + to ] Considerable resources have been devoted to proving him a liar. □ [V pron-refl + to ] She gladly gave up her part-time job to devote herself entirely to her art.
2 VERB If you devote a particular proportion of a piece of writing or a speech to a particular subject, you deal with the subject in that amount of space or time. □ [V n + to ] He devoted a major section of his massive report to an analysis of U.S. aircraft design.
de|vot|ed /d I voʊ t I d/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Someone who is devoted to a person loves that person very much. □ …a loving and devoted husband. □ [+ to ] 50 years on, the couple are still devoted to one another.