What does "device" mean?

1. (a tool or machine) an object or machine that has been made for a specific purpose, especially an electronic one. 2. (a clever plan) a clever plan or trick used to get a specific result. 3. (writing/speech technique) a special way of using words to create a particular effect in a story or speech. 4. (a logo or emblem) a design or symbol used as a logo or to represent a person or group. 5. (an explosive) a word sometimes used for a bomb, especially one made by hand.

How do you use "device"?

Often appears in the phrase 'incendiary device' or 'explosive device'.

device

US //dɪˈvaɪs// UK //dɪvˈaɪs// de·vice

1 a tool or machine (n.)
A2 Elementary

an object or machine that has been made for a specific purpose, especially an electronic one.

a piece of equipment or a mechanism designed to serve a specific function, particularly in electronic or mechanical contexts.

Example

You can connect more than one mobile device to the office Wi-Fi.

Example

The laboratory is equipped with a sophisticated tracking device that monitors the movement of particles in real time.
2 a clever plan (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

a clever plan or trick used to get a specific result.

a scheme, stratagem, or artifice designed to achieve a particular goal, often through cleverness or deception.

Example

The character in the story used a clever device to escape from the locked room.

Example

The tax hike was merely a political device intended to appease the opposition without making substantive changes to the budget.

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3 writing/speech technique (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Academic

a special way of using words to create a particular effect in a story or speech.

a linguistic or structural technique employed by a writer or speaker to achieve a specific rhetorical or aesthetic effect.

Example

Metaphor is a common literary device used to compare two different things.

Example

The orator employed several rhetorical devices, including repetition and irony, to sway the undecided members of the audience.
- technique
- method
4 a logo or emblem (n.)
C1 Advanced Formal

a design or symbol used as a logo or to represent a person or group.

a symbolic design, emblem, or heraldic figure used to identify a person, family, or corporate entity.

Example

The knight's shield was decorated with a golden lion device.

Example

The company's trademark device was prominently displayed on every piece of official correspondence to ensure brand recognition.
5 an explosive (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Technical

a word sometimes used for a bomb, especially one made by hand.

a euphemistic or technical term for an explosive unit, often an improvised one.

Example

The police found a suspicious device left in the park and called the experts.

Example

Security forces were alerted to the presence of an improvised explosive device concealed within a discarded container near the terminal.

Usage

Often appears in the phrase 'incendiary device' or 'explosive device'.
- bomb
- explosive

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dews-? Proto-Indo-European *dus- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwís Latin dis- ▲ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁-der. Proto-Italic *wiðō Latin *vidō Latin dīvidō Latin dīvīsus Old French devisbor. Middle English devis English device From Middle English devis, devise, devyce, devys, devyse, from Old French devis and devise, from Latin dīvīsus, past participle of dīvidō (“to divide”). Doublet of devise (noun).