a small machine or piece of electronic equipment made for a particular job, such as calling people, taking photos, or measuring something
Mia took a photo of the sunset with her new device.
Please switch off every device before the airplane takes off.
✦ From Old French 'devis', meaning arrangement or invention, later developing in English to mean an engineered object.
a clever plan, trick, or method used to achieve a particular result
The cliff-hanger was a storytelling device to make viewers watch the next episode.
The extra fee was only a clever device to make customers spend more.
✦ Sense developed from the idea of something "devised"—an invented plan.
an object made to explode, such as a bomb
The police safely removed the explosive device from the station.
An improvised device detonated near the convoy but caused no injuries.
✦ Technical military use arose in the 20th century meaning a mechanism meant to explode.
a decorative emblem, symbol, or design, especially one used on a coat of arms or flag
The royal banner bears a golden lion device in the center.
Each knight painted his personal device on his shield.
✦ In heraldry, a "device" was an emblem that identified a person or family, recorded since the 16th century.
a particular technique or pattern used in literature, art, or music to achieve a specific effect
Foreshadowing is a narrative device that hints at future events.
The artist used repetition as a visual device to create rhythm.
✦ Borrowed into criticism from the general sense of something invented; first used of artistic techniques in the 18th century.
