develop

American  

[dih-vel-uhp] / dɪˈvɛl əp /

verb (used with object)

• develops,
  present (3rd person singular)
• developed,
  past participle,  past
• developing
  present participle

1. 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.

2. to cause to grow or expand.

   to develop one's muscles.

3. to elaborate or expand in detail.

   to develop a theory.

4. to bring into being or activity; generate; evolve.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Mathematics. to express in an extended form, as in a series.

8. Music. to unfold, by various technical means, the inherent possibilities of (a theme).

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. Mining. to prepare (a new mine) for working by digging access openings and building necessary structures.

---

verb (used without object)

• develops,
  present (3rd person singular)
• developed,
  past participle,  past
• developing
  present participle

1. to grow into a more mature or advanced state; advance; expand.

   She is developing into a good reporter.

2. to come gradually into existence or operation; be evolved.

3. to be disclosed; become evident or manifest.

   The plot of the novel developed slowly.

4. to undergo developing, as a photographic film.

5. 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

1. to come or bring to a later or more advanced or expanded stage; grow or cause to grow gradually

2. (tr) to elaborate or work out in detail

3. to disclose or unfold (thoughts, a plot, etc) gradually or (of thoughts, etc) to be gradually disclosed or unfolded

4. to come or bring into existence; generate or be generated

   he developed a new faith in God

5. to follow as a result (of); ensue (from)

   a row developed following the chairman's remarks

6. (tr) to contract (a disease or illness)

7. (tr) to improve the value or change the use of (land), as by building

8. (tr) to exploit or make available the natural resources of (a country or region)

9. (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

10. biology to progress or cause to progress from simple to complex stages in the growth of an individual or the evolution of a species

11. (tr) to elaborate upon (a musical theme) by varying the melody, key, etc

12. (tr) maths to expand (a function or expression) in the form of a series

13. (tr) geometry to project or roll out (a surface) onto a plane without stretching or shrinking any element

14. chess to bring (a piece) into play from its initial position on the back rank

15. obsolete (tr) to disclose or reveal

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• developability
  noun
• misdevelop
  verb
• predevelop
  verb
• developable
  adjective
• half-developed
  adjective
• hyperdeveloped
  adjective
• nondevelopable
  adjective
• undevelopable
  adjective
• well-developed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• developing
  present
• developed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• develop
  simple
• develops
  simple
• have developed
  perfect
• has developed
  perfect
• am developing
  progressive
• are developing
  progressive
• is developing
  progressive
• have been developing
  perfect progressive
• has been developing
  perfect progressive

Past

• developed
  simple
• had developed
  perfect
• was developing
  progressive
• were developing
  progressive
• had been developing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will develop
  simple
• will have developed
  perfect
• will be developing
  progressive
• will have been developing
  perfect progressive

---

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

develop develops developed developing

Once the weekend's stormy weather has passed, forecasts suggest another area of low pressure will develop over the Atlantic before deepening as it approaches the UK from the south-west.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

The Pentagon said the military’s job is to develop and present options to the president.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

These conditions develop when the immune system responds abnormally, contributing to inflammation and damage in the intestines.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

It said Torpoint Artists Collective would develop a programme of artist-led workshops including wildlife recording, photography and nature journalling.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

Although you may still be a student, you can begin to develop the personal goals that you will need to succeed.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

But the AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said it would be a "major new global institution" that brings together "world-leading scientific expertise" to ensure the UK can safeguard its citizens and goals as AI develops.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

One of the biggest mysteries surrounding peri-implantitis has been its similarity to periodontitis, the gum disease that develops around natural teeth.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

Last month Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said people should prepare for extreme weather as the strongest El Niño event in a generation develops over the Pacific Ocean.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Poso’s owner, Long Beach-based California Resources Corp., advertises itself as “a carbon management company that develops emissions reducing projects.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

So what it amounts to is that there won’t be much I can do, not until I see how the sickness develops.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien

Having performed internationally, she had seen how other cities had developed a wider range of events celebrating these sounds.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

Paladin works with Critical Materials Recycling, a Boone, Iowa company that is commercializing a leaching process developed at Ames National Laboratory to extract nearly all the rare earths from electronic waste.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

Although both glioblastoma cell lines developed similar changes in shape and movement, their underlying molecular responses were unexpectedly different.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

It would mean a mayoral body taking control of how Oxford Street was developed while removing planning powers for the area from Westminster Council.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

In his speeches, Farmer liked to talk about “the nation of humanity,” as opposed to developed or undeveloped nations.

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

According to the American Cancer Society, the average risk of a woman in the US developing breast cancer is about 1 in 8, or 13%.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

Rather than developing increasingly sophisticated flight abilities, some of the earliest birds appear to have taken a very different evolutionary path, including losing the ability to fly altogether.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

This week, Finnish companies Nokia and ICEYE, external announced they would look at developing satellite communications for Ukraine's military defences.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

The company has developed proprietary 3-nanometer versions of its WaveLogic chips capable of transmitting data at 1.6 terabits per second over a single fiber strand and is developing a 2-nanometer version as well.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

The patient’s condition and diet and lifestyle put him at serious risk of developing heart disease over the next few years.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• advance
• broaden
• build up
• cultivate
• deepen
• evolve
• exploit
• improve
• intensify
• perfect
• promote
• realize
• refine
• spread
• strengthen

---