devolve

American  

[dih-volv] / dɪˈvɒlv /

verb (used with object)

devolved, devolving

1. to transfer or delegate (a duty, responsibility, etc.) to or upon another; pass on.

2. Obsolete. to cause to roll downward.

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verb (used without object)

devolved, devolving

1. to be transferred or passed on from one to another.

   The responsibility devolved on me.

2. Archaic. to roll or flow downward.

devolve British  

/ dɪˈvɒlv /

verb

1. to pass or cause to pass to a successor or substitute, as duties, power, etc

2. (intr; foll by on or upon) law (of an estate, etc) to pass to another by operation of law, esp on intestacy or bankruptcy

3. (intr; foll by on or upon) to depend (on)

   your argument devolves on how you interpret this clause

4. archaic to roll down or cause to roll down

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Usage

What does devolve mean? To devolve means to transfer or pass on from one to another, as in The discussion about world economics devolved into talking about who earns more money. To devolve also means to delegate or pass on responsibility to another, as in When the governor stepped down from office, his duties devolved to the lieutenant governor. Example: I usually devolve my weekly writeup to my assistant.

Other Word Forms

• devolvement
  noun

Etymology

Origin of devolve

1375–1425; late Middle English devolven < Latin dēvolvere to roll down, equivalent to dē- de- + volvere to roll

Explanation

You've probably heard that organisms evolve over time. Well, life is complicated, and sometimes things devolve instead — to devolve is to get worse instead of better. The de- in devolve is a clue to its meaning. When things devolve, they deteriorate, degenerate, fall apart, go to the dogs, and generally end up worse. When a classroom gets loud and rowdy, a teacher might say the class has devolved. There is another, less negative, meaning of devolve. You can devolve responsibilities: for example, the U.S. government could devolve a certain responsibility to the states. The non-negative meaning of devolve is kind of like passing things on in a will. If I devolve something to you, you inherit it.

Example Sentences

But Aristotle, Polybius and Machiavelli in “Discourses on Livy” all warn the democracy has the tendency to devolve into “mob rule” or chaos.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

With time running out to save its star-crossed season, USC put itself in position for a statement-making Saturday, only to see that dream devolve into a nightmare in an 82-67 loss to No. 12 Nebraska.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2026

That could cause a correction to devolve into a bear market.

From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026

"Plaid Cymru will devolve these powers to help drive down bills; improve consumer choice and accountability in the water market, and reduce pollution and improve water quality", the party's Delyth Jewell said.

From BBC • Jul. 21, 2025

Words devolve into letters, letters into unintelligible bumps.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr