develop

[ dih-vel-uh p ]

/ dɪˈvɛl əp /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR develop ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (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.

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What does "scattergood" mean?

a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.

a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.

a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.

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Origin of develop

1585–95; < Middle French développer, Old French desveloper, equivalent to des- dis-¹ + voloper to wrap up; see envelop

OTHER WORDS FROM develop

de·vel·op·a·ble, adjectivede·vel·op·a·bil·i·ty, nounhalf-de·vel·oped, adjectivehy·per·de·vel·oped, adjective

mis·de·vel·op, verbnon·de·vel·op·a·ble, adjectivepre·de·vel·op, verbun·de·vel·op·a·ble, adjectivewell-de·vel·oped, adjective

Words nearby develop

devastate, devastating, devastation, devein, devel., develop, developable surface, developer, developing, developing agent, developing country

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for develop

Understanding this liver-to-brain signal may help scientists develop a drug that benefits the brain the way exercise does.
Boosting a liver protein may mimic the brain benefits of exercise|Laura Sanders|July 9, 2020|Science News
They found that only about 4 to 5 percent of kids developed an active infection.
I’m an epidemiologist and a dad. Here’s why I think schools should reopen.|Benjamin P. Linas|July 9, 2020|Vox
Why develop an app when other companies are withholding money from social networks?
Pernod Ricard thinks the Facebook advertiser revolt won’t be enough to curb hate speech online, so it’s developing an app to help|Seb Joseph|July 9, 2020|Digiday
Early in life, puppies develop much faster than humans, but as dogs get older, their aging curve begins to flatten.
Calculating a dog’s age in human years is harder than you think|Bethany Brookshire|July 8, 2020|Science News

To pull this off efficiently and minimize mistakes, over the years I’ve developed a planning process that works for any trip and can be used by any backpacker.
How to Plan a Successful Backpacking Trip in 7 Steps|Andrew Skurka|July 8, 2020|Outside Online

British Dictionary definitions for develop

develop

/ (dɪˈvɛləp) /

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 generatedhe developed a new faith in God

(intr often foll by from) 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

(tr) obsolete to disclose or reveal

Derived forms of develop

developable, adjective

Word Origin for develop

C19: from Old French desveloper to unwrap, from des- dis- 1 + veloper to wrap; see envelop

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

Medical definitions for develop

develop

[ dĭ-vĕl′əp ]

v.

To progress from earlier to later stages of a life cycle.

To progress from earlier to later or from simpler to more complex stages of evolution.

To aid in the growth of; strengthen.

To grow by degrees into a more advanced or mature state.

To become affected with a disease; contract.

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develop

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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verb

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v.

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

develop

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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Origin of develop

OTHER WORDS FROM develop

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Example sentences from the Web for develop

British Dictionary definitions for develop

verb

Derived forms of develop

Word Origin for develop

Medical definitions for develop

v.