evolve
Americanverb (used with object)
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to develop gradually.
to evolve a scheme.
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to give off or emit, as odors or vapors.
verb (used without object)
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to come forth gradually into being; develop; undergo evolution.
The whole idea evolved from a casual remark.
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to gradually change one's opinions or beliefs.
candidates who are still evolving on the issue;
an evolved feminist mom.
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Biology. to develop by a process of evolution to a different adaptive state or condition.
The human species evolved from an ancestor that was probably arboreal.
verb
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to develop or cause to develop gradually
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(intr) (of animal or plant species) to undergo evolution
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(tr) to yield, emit, or give off (heat, gas, vapour, etc)
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To undergo biological evolution, as in the development of new species or new traits within a species.
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To develop a characteristic through the process of evolution.
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To undergo change and development, as the structures of the universe.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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evolvementnoun
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evolvernoun
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evolvableadjective
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nonevolvingadjective
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self-evolvedadjective
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self-evolvingadjective
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unevolvedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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evolvesimple
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evolvessimple
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have evolvedperfect
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has evolvedperfect
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am evolvingprogressive
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are evolvingprogressive
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is evolvingprogressive
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have been evolvingperfect progressive
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has been evolvingperfect progressive
Past
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evolvedsimple
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had evolvedperfect
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was evolvingprogressive
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were evolvingprogressive
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had been evolvingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of evolve
First recorded in 1635–45; from Latin ēvolvere “to unroll, open, unfold,” equivalent to ē- e- 1 + volvere “to roll, turn”
Explanation
When something evolves, it changes, or develops over time, like your taste in music and clothes, which evolve as you get older. Evolve comes from the Latin word evolvere, "to unroll" — the perfect image to keep in mind when thinking of this verb. When something is unrolling or unraveling, it is doing so gradually, not all at once. Evolve describes a development that is taking its time to reach its final destination. Think change with a speed limit. Your taste in music evolved from the nursery rhymes you loved as a little kid to whatever you like today. Even places can evolve, like the old-fashioned coffee shops that evolved into Internet cafés as people began to bring their laptops with them.
Vocabulary lists containing evolve
ACT Vocabulary List
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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50 Great Words from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
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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.
See Examples For:
Generating these four types together could give scientists a unique opportunity to compare how different optical skyrmions form, evolve, and interact within the same light field.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
González has witnessed the ties between Mexico and its emigrants abroad evolve over four decades, starting as a young consular officer in the administration of Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
A few things were clearer, however — there’s less confidence that the June agreement signed by both countries could still evolve into permanent peace, and energy markets were thrown back into uncertainty.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
But dishes evolve, and for years, the salad has been served with boiled potatoes and blanched beans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
As for my own feelings about God, they continue to evolve.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
"We recognise the protracted challenging conditions as the diamond industry evolves, though we are encouraged by signs of consumer demand growth in the US and beyond, particularly in higher quality diamonds," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
But as the season evolves, the drama deals out harder truths, too.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
Imagine, for starters, every college and high school offering basic AI skills, fed by constant updates as the tech evolves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
This means scientists can still predict how the "probability cloud" of a quantum system evolves over time even when time is defined by internal changes rather than an external clock.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
But that answer, and the idea that science evolves and that sometimes there is no way to predict the future, was uncomfortable.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
That’s the upshot of how the views of economists surveyed this month by The Wall Street Journal have evolved since the previous survey in April, roughly a month into the war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Some have already chosen them, but for the vast majority, all-electrics have not yet evolved enough to be the right choice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
A rare fossil goose discovered in the remains of an ancient lake in Central Otago is changing scientists' understanding of how New Zealand's unique bird life evolved.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
"I'd probably rather have the scenario that England have evolved through, based on the fatigue the Norway players have acquired."
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
As lions became deadlier, so gazelles evolved to run faster, hyenas to cooperate better, and rhinoceroses to be more bad-tempered.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
The consumer keeps evolving and we keep evolving with the consumer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
“Technology, consumer behavior, competition, capital requirements are all evolving at an unprecedented pace ... When we acquired NBCUniversal, more than 15 years ago, the industry looked very different.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
First, he argues that using evolving standards of decency could now lead to a different conclusion from the one the Supreme Court reached back when Kennedy was decided.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion made her competitive return in the women's doubles earlier this month, almost four years after saying she was "evolving" away from the sport.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
