divorare
/di.voˈra.re/
To devour in Italian is divorare. Wiktionary also lists trangugiare and ingurgitare.
Meaning: to eat greedily (verb)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| divorare | /di.voˈra.re/ |
| trangugiare | /tran.ɡuˈd͡ʒa.re/ |
| ingurgitare | /in.ɡur.d͡ʒiˈta.re/ |
| ingozzarsi |
Which one should you use?
divorare is the most formal or literary way to say devour, often used for animals or in a metaphorical sense like devouring a book. trangugiare is another way to express eating greedily. ingurgitare means "to gorge". ingozzarsi is a reflexive verb that emphasizes the person's gluttony or the act of stuffing oneself until full.
How does it change in a sentence?
ingozzarsi is a reflexive verb.
How do you pronounce it?
/di.voˈra.re/, 4 syllables, stress on the 3rd syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
The word sbranare means "to tear apart".
Did you know?
- The verb trangugiare contains a root that traces back to a Gaulish word for the throat, making it a linguistic link to the ancient Celtic tribes of Italy.
- To describe someone who devours everything with passion, Italians use the expression divorare con gli occhi, which means 'to devour with the eyes'.
- The verb ingurgitare describes a rapid swallowing motion. It is often used in a critical way to describe people who consume resources or power greedily without thinking.
Examples in context
- Ho divorato quella pizza deliziosa!I devoured that delicious pizza!
- Il lupo può divorare la preda in un attimo.The wolf can devour the prey in an instant.
- Non devi divorare il cibo così velocemente.You shouldn't devour your food so quickly.
- I bambini vorrebbero divorare tutta la torta.The children would want to devour all the cake.
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Chiara are eating pizza together.
- LorenzoChiara, perché vuoi divorare tutta la pizza?Chiara, why do you want to devour the whole pizza?
- ChiaraNon ho mangiato niente oggi, Lorenzo!I haven't eaten anything today, Lorenzo!
- LorenzoRallenta un po', altrimenti starai male.Slow down a bit, otherwise you'll feel sick.
- ChiaraÈ troppo buona per non divorarla!It's too good not to devour it!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “devour” translations and entries divorare, trangugiare, ingurgitare, ingozzarsi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries divorare, ingurgitare, trangugiare, CC BY-SA 4.0.
