development

[dih-vel-uhp-muhnt]

noun

1. the act or process of developing; growth; progress.

   child development; economic development.

   Synonyms: maturation, opening, evolution, growth, elaboration, expansion
   Antonyms: disintegration, deterioration

2. a significant consequence or event.

   recent developments in the field of science.

3. a developed or advanced state or form.

   Drama reached its highest development in the plays of Shakespeare.

   Synonyms: ripeness, maturity

4. Music.,  the part of a movement or composition in which a theme or themes are developed, or unfolded and elaborated, by various technical means, so as to reveal their inherent possibilities.

5. a large group of private houses or of apartment houses, often of similar design, constructed as a unified community, especially by a real-estate developer or government organization.

   Synonyms: subdivision, community

6. Chess.,  the act or process of developing chess pieces.

7. Mining.,  the work of digging openings, as tunnels, raises, and winzes, to give access to new workings, and of erecting necessary structures.

development

/ dɪˈvɛləpmənt /

noun

1. the act or process of growing, progressing, or developing

2. the product or result of developing

3. a fact, event, or happening, esp one that changes a situation

4. an area or tract of land that has been developed

5. Also called: development section. the section of a movement, usually in sonata form, in which the basic musical themes are developed

6. chess

   1. the process of developing pieces

   2. the manner in which they are developed

   3. the position of the pieces in the early part of a game with reference to their attacking potential or defensive efficiency

Other Word Forms

• developmental adjective
• developmentally adverb
• developmentary adjective
• antidevelopment adjective
• hyperdevelopment noun
• hyperdevelopmental adjective
• nondevelopment noun
• nondevelopmental adjective
• nondevelopmentally adverb
• postdevelopmental adjective
• predevelopment noun
• self-development noun
• subdevelopment noun
• superdevelopment noun
• undevelopment noun
• undevelopmental adjective
• undevelopmentally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of development¹

First recorded in 1745–55; develop + -ment, or from French développement

Example Sentences

He is currently director of business development and strategy and this week was part of a Steelers contingent that visited Newry, an hour's drive from Dublin, just across the border in Northern Ireland.

From BBC

Bosch confirmed no jobs in the UK will be affected by its latest announcement, though it would "continually assess" its operations as they were "dependent on customer demand and developments in our markets".

From BBC

He focused on bringing economic development to Palestine and creating the conditions for a two state-solution.

From BBC

A stop notice on the development, issued by the country's planning authority in May this year, appears to have been ignored.

From BBC

It is now thought to be an early version of Homo longi, a sister species at similar levels of development to neanderthals and Homo sapiens.

From BBC

Related Words

• advancement 
• evolution 
• expansion 
• improvement 
• increase 
• progress