develop
1. [ verb ] make something new, such as a product or a mental or artistic creation
Examples:

"Her company developed a new kind of building material that withstands all kinds of weather" "They developed a new technique"

Related terms: create build evolve development
2. [ verb ] work out; as of a theory or an idea
Synonyms: evolve germinate
Examples:

"We have developed a new theory of evolution"

Related terms: create_by_mental_act
3. [ verb ] gain through experience
Synonyms: evolve acquire
Examples:

"I acquired a strong aversion to television" "Children must develop a sense of right and wrong" "Dave developed leadership qualities in his new position" "develop a passion for painting"

Related terms: change grow explicate evolution
4. [ verb ] come to have or undergo a change of (physical features and attributes)
Synonyms: get grow acquire produce
Examples:

"He grew a beard" The patient developed abdominal pains" I got funny spots all over my body" "Well-developed breasts"

Related terms: change pupate spring work_up sprout stool teethe teeth cut regrow leaf fledge pod acquiring
5. [ verb ] come into existence; take on form or shape
Synonyms: arise originate spring_up grow rise uprise
Examples:

"A new religious movement originated in that country" "a love that sprang up from friendship," "the idea for the book grew out of a short story" "An interesting phenomenon uprose"

Related terms: become come well_up resurge come_forth head initiation emergence
6. [ verb ] change the use of and make available or usable
Synonyms: build_up
Examples:

"develop land" "The country developed its natural resources" "The remote areas of the country were gradually built up"

Related terms: better settle redevelop train civilize exploitation development
7. [ verb ] elaborate, as of theories and hypotheses
Synonyms: formulate explicate
Examples:

"Could you develop the ideas in your thesis"

Related terms: speculate redevelop mature conceptualization
8. [ verb ] (education) create by training and teaching
Synonyms: train educate prepare
Examples:

"The old master is training world-class violinists "we develop the leaders for the future"

Related terms: teach drill housebreak retrain toilet-train train prepare training education education education trainer trainee train
9. [ verb ] grow, progress, unfold, or evolve through a process of evolution, natural growth, differentiation, or a conducive environment
Examples:

"A flower developed on the branch" "The embryo develops into a fetus" "This situation has developed over a long time"

Related terms: grow grow progress build bloom mature blossom evolve bud incubate age age spike dedifferentiate adolesce differentiate
10. [ verb ] be gradually disclosed or unfolded; become manifest
Examples:

"The plot developed slowly";

Related terms: anticipate happen originate break
11. [ verb ] cause to grow and differentiate in ways conforming to its natural development
Synonyms: make_grow
Examples:

"The perfect climate here develops the grain" "He developed a new kind of apple"

Related terms: change evolve grow elaborate discipline foliate grow
12. [ verb ] make a country technologically advanced
Synonyms: modernize modernise civilize
Examples:

"Many countries in Asia are now developing at a very fast pace" "Viet Nam is modernizing rapidly"

Related terms: change change development
13. [ verb ] disclose or reveal (obsolete)
Examples:

"We must develop the enemy soldiers"

Related terms: detect grow grow evolve progress build bloom mature blossom bud incubate age age spike dedifferentiate differentiate adolesce growth
14. [ verb ] generate gradually
Examples:

"We must develop more potential customers" "develop a market for the new mobile phone"

Related terms: generate make
15. [ verb ] grow emotionally or mature
Synonyms: grow
Examples:

"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"

Related terms: change outgrow make development
16. [ verb ] superimpose a three-dimensional surface on a plane without stretching, in geometry
Related terms: superimpose
17. [ verb ] (photography) make visible by means of chemical solutions; of photographic film
Examples:

"Please develop this roll of film for me"

Related terms: change underdevelop solarise redevelop photography photography development developer
18. [ verb ] (music) elaborate by the unfolding of a musical idea and by the working out of the rhythmic and harmonic changes in the theme
Examples:

"develop the melody and change the key"

Related terms: complicate explicate
19. [ verb ] (chess,games) move one's chess pieces into strategically more advantageous positions
Examples:

"Spassky developed quickly"

Related terms: play chess
20. [ verb ] (chess,games) move into a strategically more advantageous position, of a chess piece
Examples:

"develop the rook"

Related terms: play chess
21. [ verb ] happen, as of an event
Synonyms: recrudesce break
Examples:

"Report the news as it develops" "These political movements recrudesce from time to time"

Related terms: anticipate happen erupt break_through development
22. [ verb ] (mathematics) expand in the form of a series, in mathematics
Examples:

"Develop the function in the following form"

Related terms: expand mathematics
Similar spelling:   developer
  developed
  developing
  devolve