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Synonyms

develop

American

[dih-vel-uhp] / dɪˈvɛl əp /

verb (used with object)

to bring out the capabilities or possibilities of; bring to a more advanced or effective state.

to develop natural resources; to develop one's musical talent.
to cause to grow or expand.

to develop one's muscles.
to elaborate or expand in detail.

to develop a theory.
to bring into being or activity; generate; evolve.
Drafting. to transfer the details of (a more or less two-dimensional design, pattern, or the like) from one surface, especially one that is prismatic or cylindrical, onto another, usually planar, in such a way that the distances between points remain the same.
Biology.
1. to cause to go through the process of natural evolution from a previous and lower stage.
2. to cause to progress from an embryonic to an adult form.
Mathematics. to express in an extended form, as in a series.
Music. to unfold, by various technical means, the inherent possibilities of (a theme).
Photography.
1. to render visible (the latent image on an exposed film or the like).
2. to treat (an exposed film or the like) with chemicals so as to render the latent image visible.
Chess. to bring (a piece) into effective play, especially during the initial phase of a game when pieces are moved from their original position on the board.

He developed his rook by castling.
Mining. to prepare (a new mine) for working by digging access openings and building necessary structures.

verb (used without object)

to grow into a more mature or advanced state; advance; expand.

She is developing into a good reporter.
to come gradually into existence or operation; be evolved.
to be disclosed; become evident or manifest.

The plot of the novel developed slowly.
to undergo developing, as a photographic film.
Biology.
1. to progress from an embryonic to an adult form.
2. to progress from earlier to later stages of ontogeny or phylogeny.
3. to reach sexual maturity.

develop British

/ dɪˈvɛləp /

verb

to come or bring to a later or more advanced or expanded stage; grow or cause to grow gradually
(tr) to elaborate or work out in detail
to disclose or unfold (thoughts, a plot, etc) gradually or (of thoughts, etc) to be gradually disclosed or unfolded
to come or bring into existence; generate or be generated

he developed a new faith in God
to follow as a result (of); ensue (from)

a row developed following the chairman's remarks
(tr) to contract (a disease or illness)
(tr) to improve the value or change the use of (land), as by building
(tr) to exploit or make available the natural resources of (a country or region)
(tr) photog
1. to treat (film, plate, or paper previously exposed to light, or the latent image in such material) with chemical solutions in order to produce a visible image
2. to process (photographic material) in order to produce negatives and prints
biology to progress or cause to progress from simple to complex stages in the growth of an individual or the evolution of a species
(tr) to elaborate upon (a musical theme) by varying the melody, key, etc
(tr) maths to expand (a function or expression) in the form of a series
(tr) geometry to project or roll out (a surface) onto a plane without stretching or shrinking any element
chess to bring (a piece) into play from its initial position on the back rank
obsolete (tr) to disclose or reveal

"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

Other Word Forms

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Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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Etymology

Origin of develop

First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French développer, Old French desveloper, equivalent to des- dis- ¹ ( def. ) + voloper “to wrap up”; see envelop ( def. )

Explanation

When something develops, it grows. And if you develop something, you create it. Your cold might develop into a rare disease, and you might just develop the vaccine to stop its spread. Develop is a verb that means to build up, grow, or improve gradually over time. A developer is someone who develops land into shopping malls, schools, and skyscrapers. The process can take months, but eventually they will transform a pile of dirt into a building. Many years ago, people would develop photographs by dipping them into various chemicals. As the pictures developed, an image would gradually appear.

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Vocabulary lists containing develop

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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:

develop develops developed developing

Before the nanoparticles could be widely adopted, researchers would need to develop a practical way to manufacture them in large quantities.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

While SpaceX prepares to put its Starship rocket in orbit for the first time, foreign countries like China are looking to develop their own technology to rival Elon Musk’s company.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 20, 2026

Teasdale learnt both ballet and gymnastics to develop his footwork and skills in the ring and was seemingly set for stardom.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

“The effects of chemical exposure may develop slowly and may not become fully apparent for several months or even multiple growing seasons,” Gough said Friday at a news conference announcing the reward.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

In 1972, in order to both develop and promote marine archaeology, Bass founded the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, the first organization of its kind in the world.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

If an AnWj negative person develops antibodies against AnWj and then receives AnWj positive blood, those antibodies can attack the transfused red blood cells.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

On the streets of Shanghai, 42-year-old Xie Zongbo said "no new technology develops completely smoothly".

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

Many countries, including the UK, have sought to regulate AI through existing laws rather than legislate - amid concern it could quickly date as AI develops.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX develops the Grok AI model, weighed in on X as well, writing that Amodei was ”right.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 12, 2026

The evolution of a city is like the evolution of the brain: it develops from a small center and slowly grows and changes, leaving many old parts still functioning.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Bundibugyo, however, occurs much less often, and no licensed vaccine or therapeutic has been developed specifically to target it.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

The Human Rights Foundation had organized numerous panels at the convention to make clear that such faith is a privilege of the developed world.

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026

In 2025, during a clinical trial of CAR T-cell therapy, a technique currently used to treat some types of leukaemia and lymphoma, Maya developed a brain injury which Dellanie said left her "profoundly disabled".

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

Cisco developed partnerships with hyperscalers to build systems for their data centers and started investing in optical technologies and chips.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

Over the past few weeks, Grandma and Joey have developed a great and unusual friendship, even though they don’t appear to have much in common.

From "Lawn Boy Returns" by Gary Paulsen

The Oilers have Ohio State-bound Brady Edmunds at quarterback in his fourth season as a starter, and rapidly developing receiver Dylin Bruce, who has committed to Arizona State.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

He is now developing the prototype for the game, called Hunger Agents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Earlier research has suggested that anticoagulant treatment may lower the risk of developing dementia, but far less is known about whether these drugs influence cognitive decline after Alzheimer's disease has already been diagnosed.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

Geraint was diagnosed with prostate cancer 13 years ago before more recently developing skin cancer, while Susan developed breast cancer when she was 38.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

And, like Brugman bringing in the ruby laser ranger and Voight adding his knowledge of landslides, the CVO is constantly updating their tools and developing new ones.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023