Synonyms

develop

American

[dih-vel-uhp] / dɪˈvɛl əp /

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.
1. to cause to go through the process of natural evolution from a previous and lower stage.
2. 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.
1. to render visible (the latent image on an exposed film or the like).
2. 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.
1. to progress from an embryonic to an adult form.
2. to progress from earlier to later stages of ontogeny or phylogeny.
3. to reach sexual maturity.

develop British

/ 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 generated

he developed a new faith in God
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
1. 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
2. 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
obsolete (tr) to disclose or reveal

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of develop

First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French développer, Old French desveloper, equivalent to des- dis- ¹ ( def. ) + voloper “to wrap up”; see envelop ( def. )

Explanation

When something develops, it grows. And if you develop something, you create it. Your cold might develop into a rare disease, and you might just develop the vaccine to stop its spread. Develop is a verb that means to build up, grow, or improve gradually over time. A developer is someone who develops land into shopping malls, schools, and skyscrapers. The process can take months, but eventually they will transform a pile of dirt into a building. Many years ago, people would develop photographs by dipping them into various chemicals. As the pictures developed, an image would gradually appear.

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Vocabulary lists containing develop

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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:

develop develops developed developing

People who regularly consume larger amounts of caffeinated coffee may gradually develop a tolerance.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

In early June, studio Lionsgate took a stake in Runway, one of the leading names in AI-generated video, and the two will now develop creative projects together.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

"They are trying to change the image for the better and get involved in more sport," says Pomroy, technical director for Nauru Soccer and one of eight volunteers aiming to develop football on the island.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

It has been our ability to attract the world’s best talent, develop breakthrough technologies and earn public confidence in them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

“Even so, it’s important to develop our muscle memory.”

From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee

To ensure self-reliance, it is crucial that Europe develops its own chemical capabilities, said Thierry Francou, chief executive of Eurenco.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Smouldering myeloma usually develops into active myeloma at some time, but how long that takes varies, according to the charity.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

However, sources say the transfer could be resurrected later in the summer depending how the window develops for United, although the club would not be prepared to sanction any move at the previously agreed terms.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

This approach produced a model that more closely reflects the biological environment that develops after a joint injury.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

As the story of sixteen-year-old West Springfield native Rashad Butler develops, the city seems to be split in terms of which side of the argument they fall on in this case.

From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds

Together they have developed a new process that lets actors be filmed naturally -- no green screen, no motion-capture suit -- and then surrounds them with a hyper-realistic AI-generated world.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Scientists have developed a forecasting technique that could reveal the strength of the Sun's next activity cycle as many as seven years before it reaches its maximum.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

The company has developed a reputation for its full-stack AI solutions, ranging from custom tensor processing units to the Gemini large language model.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

The jointly developed hybrid-electric aircraft is designed to serve both defense and commercial purposes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

“The Fulgora Storm Three, a lithium ion battery prototype being developed for a next generation electric car, was stolen, and a purple thumbprint was left at the scene.”

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Among people with optimal blood pressure, consuming 1-3 cups a day was associated with a greater risk of developing high blood pressure.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

The company has developed its own open models and Chief Executive Sam Altman has previously said OpenAI’s past approach of only developing closed tools was unwise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

As governments and companies pour hundreds of billions of dollars into developing AI, sceptics are asking whether the technology will be profitable enough to justify such huge investments.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

The Office of Federal Student Aid argues that a high nonpayment rate represents a “serious risk” of developing a high default rate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

The message suited Farmer temperamentally, because for all his scholarly understanding of developing nations’ problems, his strongest impulses were pragmatic.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023