devolve

American  

[dih-volv] / dɪˈvɒlv /

verb (used with object)

• devolves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• devolved,
  past participle,  past
• devolving
  present participle

1. to transfer or delegate (a duty, responsibility, etc.) to or upon another; pass on.

2. Obsolete. to cause to roll downward.

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verb (used without object)

• devolves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• devolved,
  past participle,  past
• devolving
  present participle

1. to be transferred or passed on from one to another.

   The responsibility devolved on me.

2. Archaic. to roll or flow downward.

devolve British  

/ dɪˈvɒlv /

verb

1. to pass or cause to pass to a successor or substitute, as duties, power, etc

2. (intr; foll by on or upon) law (of an estate, etc) to pass to another by operation of law, esp on intestacy or bankruptcy

3. (intr; foll by on or upon) to depend (on)

   your argument devolves on how you interpret this clause

4. archaic to roll down or cause to roll down

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Usage

What does devolve mean? To devolve means to transfer or pass on from one to another, as in The discussion about world economics devolved into talking about who earns more money. To devolve also means to delegate or pass on responsibility to another, as in When the governor stepped down from office, his duties devolved to the lieutenant governor. Example: I usually devolve my weekly writeup to my assistant.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• devolvement
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• devolving
  present
• devolved
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• devolve
  simple
• devolves
  simple
• have devolved
  perfect
• has devolved
  perfect
• am devolving
  progressive
• are devolving
  progressive
• is devolving
  progressive
• have been devolving
  perfect progressive
• has been devolving
  perfect progressive

Past

• devolved
  simple
• had devolved
  perfect
• was devolving
  progressive
• were devolving
  progressive
• had been devolving
  perfect progressive

Future

• will devolve
  simple
• will have devolved
  perfect
• will be devolving
  progressive
• will have been devolving
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of devolve

1375–1425; late Middle English devolven < Latin dēvolvere to roll down, equivalent to dē- de- + volvere to roll

Explanation

You've probably heard that organisms evolve over time. Well, life is complicated, and sometimes things devolve instead — to devolve is to get worse instead of better. The de- in devolve is a clue to its meaning. When things devolve, they deteriorate, degenerate, fall apart, go to the dogs, and generally end up worse. When a classroom gets loud and rowdy, a teacher might say the class has devolved. There is another, less negative, meaning of devolve. You can devolve responsibilities: for example, the U.S. government could devolve a certain responsibility to the states. The non-negative meaning of devolve is kind of like passing things on in a will. If I devolve something to you, you inherit it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

devolve devolves devolved devolving

After Sasaki gave up a solo home run to Matt Olson in the first inning, the outing began to devolve in the fourth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Little did they know it would turn into a four-year saga that would cost them tens of thousands of dollars and devolve into a legal battle between their insurance company and the contractor’s.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

Swinney said Burnham's stated desire to devolve further powers around the UK was something he welcomed.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Swinney also said he wanted Burnham to devolve energy and economic powers to Scotland.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

The arguments over Bailey’s future began early and occur frequently, though at this point they often devolve into repetitive phrases and tense silences.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

If the situation devolves any further, then Spurs will likely finish in the bottom three and be booted into the second-tier Championship for next season.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026

Otherwise, it quickly devolves into a week-long argument with your own brain about what, exactly, counts as “essential”—and whether almond milk has somehow crossed that threshold.

From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2026

An electronic score by John Carroll Kirby apes the sound of the era but devolves into abstraction as the story develops into something darker.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2025

Social media devolves into an echo chamber of torches and parading pitchforks, all aimed at Frankenstein’s monster.

From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2024

“I can’t believe…” Her stammering devolves into sobs as Dad wraps both arms around her shoulders.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

“We have officially devolved as a society,” wrote another.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

It said it was "mathematically possible" that Stormont could get between £1bn and £3.5bn extra per year if it was funded like the other devolved administrations.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Ministers will be expected to justify why powers should remain in Whitehall rather than being devolved, under a "local first" principle.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

The changes announced on Tuesday will only impact England, as education is a devolved policy area.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

The room devolved into chaos despite Aunt Sera's commands.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

That case wouldn’t just go down as one of the most shameful moments in the court’s history; it was also the legal system’s most significant contribution in devolving the country into the Civil War.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

But the movie itself isn’t exactly exploring new frontiers of fear, devolving instead into a familiar slasher-thriller with a climax of strained characterization and confusing spatial logic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026

Video taken Monday afternoon in Washington Square Park shows a snowball fight following an epic snowstorm devolving into some parkgoers apparently targeting police with snowballs.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026

But he demonstrated Wednesday that his leadership remains intact—and strong enough to prevent tension in the Fed’s dual mandate from devolving into deleterious tension within the committee.

From Barron's ● Dec. 12, 2025

What precise function with regard to it, if not that of an active partisan of progress, did he accept as devolving naturally on him?

From The Three Devils: Luther's, Milton's, and Goethe's With Other Essays by David Masson