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Definitions for Devil

[1] Theology . (sometimes initial capital letter ) the supreme spirit of evil; Satan. a subordinate evil spirit at enmity with God, and having power to afflict humans both with bodily disease and with spiritual corruption.
[2] an atrociously wicked, cruel, or ill-tempered person.
[3] a person who is very clever, energetic, reckless, or mischievous.
[4] a person, usually one in unfortunate or pitiable circumstances: The poor devil kept losing jobs through no fault of his own.
[5] Also called printer's devil. Printing . a young worker below the level of apprentice in a printing office.
[6] any of various mechanical devices, as a machine for tearing rags, a machine for manufacturing wooden screws, etc.
[7] Nautical . (in deck or hull planking) any of various seams difficult to caulk because of form or position.
[8] any of various portable furnaces or braziers used in construction and foundry work.
[9] the devil, (used as an emphatic expletive or mild oath to express disgust, anger, astonishment, negation, etc.): What the devil do you mean by that?
[10] to annoy; harass; pester: to devil Mom and Dad for a new car.
[11] to tear (rags, cloth, etc.) with a devil.
[12] Cookery . to prepare (food, usually minced) with hot or savory seasoning: to devil eggs.
[13] between the devil and the deep (blue) sea , between two undesirable alternatives; in an unpleasant dilemma.
[14] devil of a , extremely difficult or annoying; hellish: I had a devil of a time getting home through the snow.
[15] give the devil his due , to give deserved credit even to a person one dislikes: To give the devil his due, you must admit that she is an excellent psychologist.
[16] go to the devil , to fail completely; lose all hope or chance of succeeding. to become depraved. (an expletive expressing annoyance, disgust, impatience, etc.)
[17] let the devil take the hindmost , to leave the least able or fortunate persons to suffer adverse consequences; leave behind or to one's fate: They ran from the pursuing mob and let the devil take the hindmost.
[18] play the devil with , to ruin completely; spoil: The financial crisis played the devil with our investment plans.
[19] raise the devil , to cause a commotion or disturbance. to celebrate wildly; revel. to make an emphatic protest or take drastic measures.
[20] the devil to pay , trouble to be faced; mischief in the offing: If conditions don't improve, there will be the devil to pay.
[21] theol (often capital) the chief spirit of evil and enemy of God, often represented as the ruler of hell and often depicted as a human figure with horns, cloven hoofs, and tail
[22] theol one of the subordinate evil spirits of traditional Jewish and Christian belief
[23] a person or animal regarded as cruel, wicked, or ill-natured
[24] a person or animal regarded as unfortunate or wretched that poor devil was ill for months
[25] a person or animal regarded as clever, daring, mischievous, or energetic
[26] informal something difficult or annoying
[27] Christian Science the opposite of truth; an error, lie, or false belief in sin, sickness, and death
[28] (in Malaysia) a ghost
[29] a portable furnace or brazier, esp one used in road-making or one used by plumbers Compare salamander (def. 7)
[30] any of various mechanical devices, usually with teeth, such as a machine for making wooden screws or a rag-tearing machine
[31] See printer's devil
[32] law (in England) a junior barrister who does work for another in order to gain experience, usually for a half fee
[33] meteorol a small whirlwind in arid areas that raises dust or sand in a column
[34] between the devil and the deep blue sea between equally undesirable alternatives
[35] devil of informal (intensifier) a devil of a fine horse
[36] give the devil his due to acknowledge the talent or the success of an opponent or unpleasant person
[37] go to the devil to fail or become dissipated (interjection) used to express annoyance with the person causing it
[38] like the devil with great speed, determination, etc
[39] play the devil with informal to make much worse; upset considerably the damp plays the devil with my rheumatism
[40] raise the devil to cause a commotion to make a great protest
[41] talk of the devil! or speak of the devil! (interjection) used when an absent person who has been the subject of conversation appears
[42] the devil! (intensifier :) used in such phrases as what the devil, where the devil, etc an exclamation of anger, surprise, disgust, etc
[43] the devil's own a very difficult or problematic (thing)
[44] the devil take the hindmost or let the devil take the hindmost look after oneself and leave others to their fate
[45] the devil to pay problems or trouble to be faced as a consequence of an action
[46] the very devil something very difficult or awkward
[47] (tr) to prepare (esp meat, poultry, or fish) by coating with a highly flavoured spiced paste or mixture of condiments before cooking
[48] (tr) to tear (rags) with a devil
[49] (intr) to serve as a printer's devil
[50] (intr) mainly British to do hackwork, esp for a lawyer or author; perform arduous tasks, often without pay or recognition of one's services
[51] (tr) US informal to harass, vex, torment, etc

Words related to Devil

rogue, scamp, ogre, imp, dastard, adversary, brute, beast, knave, villain, Lucifer, Satan, hellion, fiend, genie, scoundrel, monster, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, djinn

Words nearby Devil

deviate, deviation, deviationism, devic's disease, device, devil, devil and deep blue sea, devil dog, devil of a, devil ray, devil take the hindmost, the

Origin of Devil

before 900; Middle English devel, Old English dēofol < Late Latin diabolus < Greek diábolos Satan (Septuagint, NT), literally, slanderer (noun), slanderous (adj.), verbid of diabállein to assault someone's character, literally, to throw across, equivalent to dia- dia- + bállein to throw

Other words from Devil

out·dev·il , verb (used with object), out·dev·iled, out·dev·il·ing or (especially British ) out·dev·illed, out·dev·il·ling.
sub·dev·il , noun
un·der·dev·il , noun

Word origin for Devil

Old English dēofol, from Latin diabolus, from Greek diabolos enemy, accuser, slanderer, from diaballein, literally: to throw across, hence, to slander

Synonyms for Devil

Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Satan, adversary, beast, brute, dastard, djinn, dybbuk, fiend, genie, hellion, imp, knave, lucifer, monster, ogre, rogue, scamp, scoundrel, villain, Archfiend, Prince of Darkness, bête noire, common enemy, diablo, enfant terrible, evil one, the Erinyes, the Furies, the dickens