evolve

[ ih-volv ]

See synonyms for: evolve evolved evolves evolving on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),e·volved, e·volv·ing.

to develop gradually: to evolve a scheme.
to give off or emit, as odors or vapors.

verb (used without object),e·volved, e·volv·ing.

to come forth gradually into being; develop; undergo evolution: The whole idea evolved from a casual remark.
to gradually change one's opinions or beliefs: candidates who are still evolving on the issue;an evolved feminist mom.

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.

Origin of evolve

First recorded in 1635–45; from Latin ēvolvere “to unroll, open, unfold,” equivalent to ē- e-¹ + volvere “to roll, turn”

Other words from evolve

e·volv·a·ble, adjective
e·volve·ment, noun
e·volv·er, noun
non·e·volv·ing, adjective
self-e·volved, adjective
self-e·volv·ing, adjective
un·e·volved, adjective

Words Nearby evolve

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use evolve in a sentence

However, scientists’ grasp on exactly how the technology works is still evolving.
Elon Musk’s brain company plans a big reveal on Friday. Here’s what we already know | Verne Kopytoff | August 27, 2020 | Fortune
We have to go there if we want this to evolve into something that’s taken seriously.
‘We have to grow this responsibly’: Tenderfoot TV co-founder Donald Albright on the podcasting’s bright (but consolidated) future | Pierre Bienaimé | August 25, 2020 | Digiday
Cowboys with ample cash and minimal expertise built a house of cards with questionable business models amidst rapidly evolving regulations.
The cannabis cowboys are going corporate | Jenni Avins | August 2, 2020 | Quartz
The evolving e-commerce blueprintIn just a few short days in March 2020, Amazon went from being an online shopping destination to a lifeline for millions of locked-down consumers, and it changed the advertising landscape for brands as they knew it.
Deep Dive: How to master Amazon advertising in the new normal | Digiday | July 29, 2020 | Digiday
Your job is to adapt, evolve, and do what’s best for your business and your customers.
Modern SEO strategy: Three tactics to support your efforts | Nick Chasinov | June 23, 2020 | Search Engine Watch

Plus there is another problem that the viruses pose—the problem that apparently is the culprit this year—they evolve.
When You Get the Flu This Winter, You Can Blame Anti-Vaxxers | Kent Sepkowitz | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
He expected European capitalism to evolve spontaneously into a market socialism of worker-owned cooperatives.
American Democracy Under Threat for 250 Years | Jedediah Purdy | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Beyond that, how will China evolve its rigid Internet policy?
China’s Internet Is Freer Than You Think | Brendon Hong | December 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Darwin was among the many scientists that have helped society evolve out of mysticism, superstition and faith.
‘Gods of Suburbia’: Dina Goldstein’s Arresting Photo Series on Religion vs. Consumerism | Dina Goldstein | November 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
WITW: How did your brand evolve and what were the important elements to building it?
Q&A With Designer Rachel Roy | Cynthia Allum | November 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But France had had enough of the Terror, and knew that she could evolve her safety by other means than that of the guillotine.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
But before I have time to evolve a satisfactory explanation, I hear Wingie tiptoeing back.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander Berkman
Spottily, and maybe that's worse, because some parts will evolve forward and others reverse, as is happening in my own body.
A Feast of Demons | William Morrison
But it was a truce only and there was no indication that it could ever evolve into friendship.
Space Prison | Tom Godwin
Out of this vast sea of mud Nature has had to evolve another creation, beginning de novo, with her lowest forms.
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce | Ambrose Bierce

British Dictionary definitions for evolve

evolve

/ (ɪˈvɒlv) /

verb

to develop or cause to develop gradually
(intr) (of animal or plant species) to undergo evolution

(tr) to yield, emit, or give off (heat, gas, vapour, etc)

Origin of evolve

C17: from Latin ēvolvere to unfold, from volvere to roll

Derived forms of evolve

evolvable, adjective
evolvement, noun
evolver, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for evolve

evolve

[ ĭ-vŏlv′ ]

To undergo biological evolution, as in the development of new species or new traits within a species.
To develop a characteristic through the process of evolution.

To undergo change and development, as the structures of the universe.

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