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
- antidevelopment adjective
- developmental adjective
- developmentally adverb
- developmentary adjective
- hyperdevelopment noun
- hyperdevelopmental adjective
- nondevelopment noun
- nondevelopmental adjective
- nondevelopmentally adverb
- postdevelopmental adjective
- predevelopment noun
- self-development noun
- subdevelopment noun
- superdevelopment noun
- undevelopment noun
- undevelopmental adjective
- undevelopmentally adverb
Etymology
Origin of development
First recorded in 1745–55; develop + -ment, or from French développement
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.
He said Britain needs to adequately encourage research and development through tax incentives and partnerships with academic institutions.
“We wanted to see development, we wanted to see growth, and we just weren’t seeing it.”
From Salon
The outcome of this investigation may shape the development of large-scale, error-free quantum computers suitable for commercial use, a goal Dellios hopes to help lead.
From Science Daily
Neuroscientists at the University of Cambridge report that the human brain moves through five "major epochs" as it rewires itself from early development to late old age.
From Science Daily
He adds that the technique could eventually guide the development of therapies for this neurodegenerative disorder.
From Science Daily
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.
