Meaning

(transitive) To use one’s intellect to plan or design (something)..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To use one’s intellect to plan or design (something).
2. (transitive) To leave (property) in a will.
3. (intransitive, archaic) To form a scheme; to lay a plan; to contrive; to consider.
4. (transitive, archaic) To plan or scheme for; to plot to obtain.
5. (obsolete) To imagine; to guess.
6. The act of leaving real property in a will.
7. Such a will, or a clause in such a will.
8. The real property left in such a will.

Example Sentences

Near-synonyms: lay, set, design, plan, create

to devise an argument; to devise a machine, or a new system of writing

Therefore to make complaynt Of such mysadvysed Parsons and dysgysed, Thys boke we have devysed, […]

His fiery eies are fixt vpon the earth. As if he now deuiſ’d some Stratageme: Or meant to pierce Auernus darkſome vauts. To pull the triple headed dog from hell.

devising schemes to realize his ambitious views

Thus, the task of the linguist devising a grammar which models the linguistic competence of the fluent native speaker is to devise a finite set of rules which are capable of specifying how to form, interpret, and pronounce an infinite set of well-formed sentences.

Thailand goes to the polls on Sunday under a new system that critics say the military government has devised to prevent the most popular political party, which has won every election since 2001, from returning to power.

I thought, devised, and Pallas heard my prayer.

Word Forms

• devises
• devising
• devised

Synonyms for devise

Related Words

When Should You Use Devise?

Use devise when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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