develop
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to bring out the capabilities or possibilities of; bring to a more advanced or effective state.
to develop natural resources; to develop one's musical talent.
-
to cause to grow or expand.
to develop one's muscles.
-
to elaborate or expand in detail.
to develop a theory.
-
to bring into being or activity; generate; evolve.
-
Drafting. to transfer the details of (a more or less two-dimensional design, pattern, or the like) from one surface, especially one that is prismatic or cylindrical, onto another, usually planar, in such a way that the distances between points remain the same.
-
Biology.
-
to cause to go through the process of natural evolution from a previous and lower stage.
-
to cause to progress from an embryonic to an adult form.
-
-
Mathematics. to express in an extended form, as in a series.
-
Music. to unfold, by various technical means, the inherent possibilities of (a theme).
-
Photography.
-
to render visible (the latent image on an exposed film or the like).
-
to treat (an exposed film or the like) with chemicals so as to render the latent image visible.
-
-
Chess. to bring (a piece) into effective play, especially during the initial phase of a game when pieces are moved from their original position on the board.
He developed his rook by castling.
-
Mining. to prepare (a new mine) for working by digging access openings and building necessary structures.
verb (used without object)
-
to grow into a more mature or advanced state; advance; expand.
She is developing into a good reporter.
-
to come gradually into existence or operation; be evolved.
-
to be disclosed; become evident or manifest.
The plot of the novel developed slowly.
-
to undergo developing, as a photographic film.
-
Biology.
-
to progress from an embryonic to an adult form.
-
to progress from earlier to later stages of ontogeny or phylogeny.
-
to reach sexual maturity.
-
verb
-
to come or bring to a later or more advanced or expanded stage; grow or cause to grow gradually
-
(tr) to elaborate or work out in detail
-
to disclose or unfold (thoughts, a plot, etc) gradually or (of thoughts, etc) to be gradually disclosed or unfolded
-
to come or bring into existence; generate or be generated
he developed a new faith in God
-
to follow as a result (of); ensue (from)
a row developed following the chairman's remarks
-
(tr) to contract (a disease or illness)
-
(tr) to improve the value or change the use of (land), as by building
-
(tr) to exploit or make available the natural resources of (a country or region)
-
(tr) photog
-
to treat (film, plate, or paper previously exposed to light, or the latent image in such material) with chemical solutions in order to produce a visible image
-
to process (photographic material) in order to produce negatives and prints
-
-
biology to progress or cause to progress from simple to complex stages in the growth of an individual or the evolution of a species
-
(tr) to elaborate upon (a musical theme) by varying the melody, key, etc
-
(tr) maths to expand (a function or expression) in the form of a series
-
(tr) geometry to project or roll out (a surface) onto a plane without stretching or shrinking any element
-
chess to bring (a piece) into play from its initial position on the back rank
-
obsolete (tr) to disclose or reveal
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
developabilitynoun
-
misdevelopverb
-
predevelopverb
-
developableadjective
-
half-developedadjective
-
hyperdevelopedadjective
-
nondevelopableadjective
-
undevelopableadjective
-
well-developedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
developsimple
-
developssimple
-
have developedperfect
-
has developedperfect
-
am developingprogressive
-
are developingprogressive
-
is developingprogressive
-
have been developingperfect progressive
-
has been developingperfect progressive
Past
-
developedsimple
-
had developedperfect
-
was developingprogressive
-
were developingprogressive
-
had been developingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of develop
First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French développer, Old French desveloper, equivalent to des- dis- 1 ( def. ) + voloper “to wrap up”; see envelop ( def. )
Explanation
When something develops, it grows. And if you develop something, you create it. Your cold might develop into a rare disease, and you might just develop the vaccine to stop its spread. Develop is a verb that means to build up, grow, or improve gradually over time. A developer is someone who develops land into shopping malls, schools, and skyscrapers. The process can take months, but eventually they will transform a pile of dirt into a building. Many years ago, people would develop photographs by dipping them into various chemicals. As the pictures developed, an image would gradually appear.
Vocabulary lists containing develop
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
People who regularly consume larger amounts of caffeinated coffee may gradually develop a tolerance.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
In early June, studio Lionsgate took a stake in Runway, one of the leading names in AI-generated video, and the two will now develop creative projects together.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
The latest generation of models could start to entirely develop themselves in the next year or so.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
“I don’t think they have made a decision yet, but we are working with them,” he said, adding that it would take about six to seven years to develop the engine and airframe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
All of it is exploratory and meant to develop the child’s inner sense of confidence and skill building while playing.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
In space, cosmic dust develops under extreme conditions.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
A clockwise march past the 85 exhibits develops a chronology from the birth of modern war in the tangled British and French corpses of J.M.W.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
However, sources say the transfer could be resurrected later in the summer depending how the window develops for United, although the club would not be prepared to sanction any move at the previously agreed terms.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Son-in-law Jaya develops recipes and makes ice cream for the business and the family is working towards the goal of seeing their products stocked on supermarket shelves.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Music expresses children’s identity and heritage, teaches them to belong to a culture, and develops their cognitive well-being and inner self-worth.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Together they have developed a new process that lets actors be filmed naturally -- no green screen, no motion-capture suit -- and then surrounds them with a hyper-realistic AI-generated world.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
These participants generally developed higher levels of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and showed stronger neutralizing activity against several viral variants.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Is there a financial skill you think you should have developed by now, but are too embarrassed to ask about?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
The jointly developed hybrid-electric aircraft is designed to serve both defense and commercial purposes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Simply put, Washington had developed a view of both personal and national independence that was completely immune to sentimental attachments or fleeting ideological enthusiasms.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Security-focused administration officials in the past year have considered a slew of measures to crack down on Chinese AI companies developing open models, people familiar with the discussions said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The company is focused on developing “AI-powered tools built by and for filmmakers” and using new technology to “protect and expand creative choice,” according to Netflix’s news release in March.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
The researchers overcame this barrier by developing and applying new tools based on tensor networks.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
As governments and companies pour hundreds of billions of dollars into developing AI, sceptics are asking whether the technology will be profitable enough to justify such huge investments.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Jinx was intrigued by the romantic scene developing before him, but was even more enamored with the catfish wriggling on the hook.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
