evolve

[ ih-volv ]
See synonyms for evolve on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),e·volved, e·volv·ing.
  1. to develop gradually: to evolve a scheme.

  2. to give off or emit, as odors or vapors.

verb (used without object),e·volved, e·volv·ing.
  1. to come forth gradually into being; develop; undergo evolution: The whole idea evolved from a casual remark.

  2. to gradually change one's opinions or beliefs: candidates who are still evolving on the issue;an evolved feminist mom.

  1. Biology. to develop by a process of evolution to a different adaptive state or condition: The human species evolved from an ancestor that was probably arboreal.

Origin of evolve

1
First recorded in 1635–45; from Latin ēvolvere “to unroll, open, unfold,” equivalent to ē- e-1 + volvere “to roll, turn”

Other words from evolve

  • e·volv·a·ble, adjective
  • e·volve·ment, noun
  • e·volv·er, noun
  • non·e·volv·ing, adjective
  • self-e·volved, adjective
  • self-e·volv·ing, adjective
  • un·e·volved, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use evolve in a sentence

  • The self-evolved feelings and impulses of a black-eyed nymph like Gnulemah were not likely to be orthodox.

    Idolatry | Julian Hawthorne
  • When she had one, usually self-evolved, she held fast to it, nor cared a jot about its possible insecurity.

    Carnival | Compton Mackenzie
  • Once it was said that they were moved by spirits, then by vortexes, now by self-evolved forces.

    What is Darwinism? | Charles Hodge
  • His reasons for action were in most cases self-evolved and entirely self-regulated.

    The Portion of Labor | Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
  • The universe is not self-existent, nor self-evolved, neither has it any inherent power of self-perpetuation.

    The Theistic Conception of the World | B. F. (Benjamin Franklin) Cocker

British Dictionary definitions for evolve

evolve

/ (ɪˈvɒlv) /


verb
  1. to develop or cause to develop gradually

  2. (intr) (of animal or plant species) to undergo evolution

  1. (tr) to yield, emit, or give off (heat, gas, vapour, etc)

Origin of evolve

1
C17: from Latin ēvolvere to unfold, from volvere to roll

Derived forms of evolve

  • evolvable, adjective
  • evolvement, noun
  • evolver, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for evolve

evolve

[ ĭ-vŏlv ]


  1. To undergo biological evolution, as in the development of new species or new traits within a species.

  2. To develop a characteristic through the process of evolution.

  1. To undergo change and development, as the structures of the universe.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.