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

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

“Sustained investment in public health has enabled development of the advanced molecular tools that detected these infections,” the California Department of Public Health said in a statement to The Times.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026

Eight recommendations were made in total, which included involving all staff in establishing a vision for the maternity service as a whole, as well as providing development support for team members and managers.

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026

For those watching closely, however, the development made sense.

From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026

Led by Chief Executive Dario Amodei and his sister Daniela, the company’s president, Anthropic prides itself on responsible development of AI.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026

It might seem intuitive for an embryologist to approach the problem of genesis forward—from the earliest events in the embryo to the development of a body plan of a full-fledged organism.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

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