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:
Initially, the model degraded responses to some questions about AI development without notifying users.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
In a separate post, Zelensky said he met representatives of US defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin to discuss "further development of our cooperation".
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The development was slated to replace eight units on four parcels, according to city records.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
"We remain focused on operational delivery, execution, and accelerating" research and development.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Next to it, the winged snake had legs and breathed fire, and the next step in dragon development had three heads.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Micron Technology, Sandisk and other U.S. chip stocks are extending sharp declines on Tuesday as developments in Asia send ripples overseas.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
“While still very early, booking trends for 2027 are encouraging and pacing ahead of historical levels, including for itineraries where demand was impacted by geopolitical developments this year,” Chief Financial Officer Naftali Holtz said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Health Secretary Angela Constance said she was encouraged by the "developments we have made thus far", stressing that the pilot programme was still "in the early stages".
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Amid the positive developments, with the inflammation improving, she remains in critical condition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
For both of those reasons, all developments of economically complex, socially stratified, politically centralized societies beyond the level of small nascent chiefdoms were based on food production.
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.
