development

American  

[dih-vel-uhp-muhnt] / dɪˈvɛl əp mənt /

noun

1. the act or process of developing; growth; progress.

   child development; economic development.

   Synonyms:

   maturation, opening, evolution, growth, elaboration, expansion

   Antonyms:

   disintegration, deterioration

2. a significant consequence or event.

   recent developments in the field of science.

3. a developed or advanced state or form.

   Drama reached its highest development in the plays of Shakespeare.

   Synonyms:

   ripeness, maturity

4. 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.

5. 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

6. Chess. the act or process of developing chess pieces.

7. Mining. the work of digging openings, as tunnels, raises, and winzes, to give access to new workings, and of erecting necessary structures.

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development British  

/ dɪˈvɛləpmənt /

noun

1. the act or process of growing, progressing, or developing

2. the product or result of developing

3. a fact, event, or happening, esp one that changes a situation

4. an area or tract of land that has been developed

5. Also called: development section.  the section of a movement, usually in sonata form, in which the basic musical themes are developed

6. chess

   1. the process of developing pieces

   2. the manner in which they are developed

   3. 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

• undevelopmental
  adjective
• hyperdevelopmental
  adjective
• antidevelopment
  adjective
• undevelopment
  noun
• predevelopment
  noun
• nondevelopmental
  adjective
• developmentary
  adjective
• developmental
  adjective
• nondevelopment
  noun
• undevelopmentally
  adverb
• developmentally
  adverb
• postdevelopmental
  adjective
• nondevelopmentally
  adverb
• subdevelopment
  noun
• superdevelopment
  noun
• hyperdevelopment
  noun
• self-development
  noun

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.

Example Sentences

China vehemently denies these allegations, saying its policies have rooted out extremism in Xinjiang and boosted economic development.

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026

Taking historical precedents for the build-out of new technologies into account, like the development of railroads or the automobile industry, the Goldman team thinks a more realistic figure for next year is $1.1 trillion.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026

The energy development company could likely win a 30% market share of new renewable and independent power producer contracts, the analyst says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

And one of the things that I’ve enjoyed most is bringing the development of stories together with the development of albums.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

He gives us two accounts of the development of his thinking, one at the beginning of the Little Commentary and the other at the beginning of On the Revolutions.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• advancement
• evolution
• expansion
• improvement
• increase
• progress