development
Americannoun
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the act or process of developing; growth; progress.
child development; economic development.
- Synonyms:
- maturation, opening, evolution, growth, elaboration, expansion
- Antonyms:
- disintegration, deterioration
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a significant consequence or event.
recent developments in the field of science.
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a developed or advanced state or form.
Drama reached its highest development in the plays of Shakespeare.
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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.
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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
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Chess. the act or process of developing chess pieces.
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Mining. the work of digging openings, as tunnels, raises, and winzes, to give access to new workings, and of erecting necessary structures.
noun
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the act or process of growing, progressing, or developing
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the product or result of developing
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a fact, event, or happening, esp one that changes a situation
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an area or tract of land that has been developed
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Also called: development section. the section of a movement, usually in sonata form, in which the basic musical themes are developed
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chess
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the process of developing pieces
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the manner in which they are developed
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the position of the pieces in the early part of a game with reference to their attacking potential or defensive efficiency
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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hyperdevelopmentnoun
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nondevelopmentnoun
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predevelopmentnoun
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self-developmentnoun
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subdevelopmentnoun
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superdevelopmentnoun
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undevelopmentnoun
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antidevelopmentadjective
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developmentaladjective
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developmentaryadjective
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hyperdevelopmentaladjective
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nondevelopmentaladjective
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postdevelopmentaladjective
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undevelopmentaladjective
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developmentallyadverb
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nondevelopmentallyadverb
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undevelopmentallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of development
First recorded in 1745–55; develop + -ment, or from French développement
Explanation
Development is the act of improving by expanding, enlarging, or refining. The merging of two university departments might lead to the development of a new curriculum. There are many other definitions for this noun, too. Real estate development is the conversion of land or property to a specific use, like housing or retail space. To grow up, we pass through many stages of development, from infancy to old age. Breaking news is often followed by developments, that is, recent events or information that's relevant to the story.
Vocabulary lists containing development
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 6
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 4
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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:
Her roots are populist, but she has become more attuned to the importance of property rights in driving capital formation and development.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Founded in 1919, it offers numerous education, business, agriculture and infrastructure loan programs to support the economic development of the state and its citizens.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
Even in such small amounts, these elements are highly valuable to astronomers because they preserve clues about the history and chemical development of the cosmos.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
It is a striking development in a country long regarded as the spiritual home of the Mediterranean diet.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Dynamic auditory processing, musical experience and language development.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Teixeira also has ownership interests in a number of companies, including an e-sports league, hotel development and management firms, and real estate developments.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
Once they are in place, officials can modify them based on new developments, said Majerus, a partner at King & Spalding.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Mortgage rates are sensitive to political developments and economic trends.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
It said the effect of recent geopolitical developments on financial markets had been smaller than during the initial months of the conflict.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
This table gives approximate dates of widespread adoption of significant developments in three Eurasian and four Native American areas.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
