Despite being full, I took another piece of cake.
Although my cat is fat, she still manages to crawl under the cupboard.
It is an adverb of manner, although it usually describes not how something is done, but how it is being done, despite how it might seem.
No, you do not typically use a comma after "despite." The word "despite" is a preposition that introduces a phrase, and a comma is usually unnecessary unless the sentence structure requires it for clarity or to separate clauses. For example, "Despite the rain, we went for a walk" uses a comma after the phrase, but not directly after "despite."
"Despite" is basically a stronger way to say "although." "Despite," in the context you are using, means "in spite of" or "in spite of the fact"; the word "although" contrasts potential or assumed opposites, whereas "despite" contrasts known, irrefutable opposites.
Usually with your nose, although you could also use a trained dog.
Crocodiles usually use a series of grunts, although they also use posturing displays, such as bared teeth.
Although, despite, however...
although, even though, despite?
The conjunction is spelled "though" (although, despite).
opposition connectives are despite,although and moreover
You use pixel to measure the quality of a photograph (although cameras usually take photos in megapixels (millions of pixels). You use bits / bytes to measure the file size of a digital photograph (although photos are usually MB (mega bytes) - millions of bytes).
Despite all the talk about democracy in my family, my father usually gives the rest of us Hobson's choice.
You can use "although" to introduce a contrast between two ideas. For example: "Although it was raining, we decided to go for a walk." This structure highlights that despite the rain, the decision to walk was made. It can also be placed at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence, depending on the emphasis you want to create.