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ENGLISH THESAURUS & DICTIONARY

develop

verb

Words like develop

Compare the definitions to choose the right meaning.

137 words · verbSort by

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Related words aren’t always interchangeable. Check the definition before you choose.

MEANING & USAGE

Definitions & examples

01verb

make something new, such as a product or a mental or artistic creation

“Her company developed a new kind of building material that withstands all kinds of weather”

“They developed a new technique”

02verb

work out

“We have developed a new theory of evolution”

03verb

gain through experience

“I acquired a strong aversion to television”

“Children must develop a sense of right and wrong”

04verb

come to have or undergo a change of (physical features and attributes)

“He grew a beard”

“The patient developed abdominal pains”

17 more meanings

05verb

come into existence; take on form or shape

“A new religious movement originated in that country”

“a love that sprang up from friendship”

06verb

change the use of and make available or usable

“develop land”

“The country developed its natural resources”

07verb

elaborate, as of theories and hypotheses

“Could you develop the ideas in your thesis”

08verb

create by training and teaching

“The old master is training world-class violinists”

“we develop the leaders for the future”

09verb

be gradually disclosed or unfolded; become manifest

“The plot developed slowly”

10verb

grow, progress, unfold, or evolve through a process of evolution, natural growth, differentiation, or a conducive environment

“A flower developed on the branch”

“The country developed into a mighty superpower”

11verb

become technologically advanced

“Many countries in Asia are now developing at a very fast pace”

“Viet Nam is modernizing rapidly”

12verb

cause to grow and differentiate in ways conforming to its natural development

“The perfect climate here develops the grain”

“He developed a new kind of apple”

13verb

generate gradually

“We must develop more potential customers”

“develop a market for the new mobile phone”

14verb

grow emotionally or mature

“The child developed beautifully in her new kindergarten”

“When he spent a summer at camp, the boy grew noticeably and no longer showed some of his old adolescent behavior”

15verb

make visible by means of chemical solutions

“Please develop this roll of film for me”

16verb

superimpose a three-dimensional surface on a plane without stretching, in geometry

17verb

move one's pieces into strategically more advantageous positions

“Spassky developed quickly”

18verb

move into a strategically more advantageous position

“develop the rook”

19verb

elaborate by the unfolding of a musical idea and by the working out of the rhythmic and harmonic changes in the theme

“develop the melody and change the key”

20verb

happen

“Report the news as it develops”

“These political movements recrudesce from time to time”

21verb

expand in the form of a series

“Develop the function in the following form”

Meanings and examples from Open English WordNet 2025. About our sources ↗