Meanings
present singular third person develops · participle present developing · participle past developed · past developed · archaic participle past rare developt · archaic past rare developt · alternative archaic develope
- archaicimpersonaltransitiveTo discover, find out; to uncover.
‘The mystery which I cannot develop, may by that time be removed […].’
1791, Charlotte Smith, Celestina, Broadview, published 2004, page 1761 more example
The plaintiff's case on liability was pretty solid. One of the herbal ingredients in Vita-Pote turned out to have a well-recognized association with temporary impotence. When it developed that the defendant had never really investigated what the ingredients in Vita-Pote could do to men, the local legal pundits started saying there was no way the plaintiff could lose.
1999 September 1, Jim McElhaney, ABA Journal, volume 94, number 2, published 1 February 2008, page 24a - ambitransitiveTo progress through a sequence of stages.
Isabel developed from a tropical depression to a tropical storm to a hurricane. An embryo develops into a fetus and then into an infant.
1 more example
1868-1869, Robert Owen, Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of Vertebrates All insects […] acquire the jointed legs before the wings are fully developed.
Synonyms: shift, proceed, convert, draw, evolve, metamorphize, metamorphose, reconvert
- transitiveTo create.
I need to develop a plan for the next three weeks.
1 more example
Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus.[…]A photo processing technique called focus stacking has changed that. Developed as a tool to electronically combine the sharpest bits of multiple digital images, focus stacking is a boon to biologists seeking full focus on a micron scale.
2013 July-August, Catherine Clabby, “Focus on Everything”, in American ScientistSynonyms: contrive, generate, bring forth, cause, contrive, create, ferment, forge
- transitiveTo acquire something usually over a period of time.
She developed bad eating habits.
2 more examples
I have been in England enough to develop a British accent.
You will develop calluses if you play the cello.
- mathematicsTo change the form of (an algebraic expression, etc.) by executing certain indicated operations without changing the value.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo progress through a sequence of stages.
verbTo create.
More synonyms by meaning
verbmake something new, such as a product or a mental or artistic creation
verbcome to have or undergo a change of (physical features and attributes)
verbcome into existence; take on form or shape
verbchange the use of and make available or usable
verbelaborate, as of theories and hypotheses
verbbe gradually disclosed or unfolded; become manifest
verbcause to grow and differentiate in ways conforming to its natural development
verbelaborate by the unfolding of a musical idea and by the working out of the rhythmic and harmonic changes in the theme
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*wrappaną
- Vulgar Latin*vloppō, *wloppō“to wrap”
- Old Frenchdesveloper
- Middle Frenchdesveloper
- Frenchdévelopper
- Englishdevelop
Borrowed from French développer, from Middle French desveloper, from Old French desveloper, from des- + voloper, veloper, vloper (“to wrap, wrap up”) (compare Italian sviluppare, Old Italian alternative form goluppare (“to wrap”)) from Vulgar Latin *vloppō, *wloppō (“to wrap”) ultimately from Proto-Germanic *wrappaną, *wlappaną (“to wrap, roll up, turn, wind”), from Proto-Indo-European *werb- (“to turn, bend”) http://www.wordnik.com/words/envelop. Akin to Middle English wlappen (“to wrap, fold”) (Modern English lap (“to wrap, involve, fold”)), Middle English wrappen (“to wrap”), Middle Dutch lappen (“to wrap up, embrace”), dialectal Danish vravle (“to wind, twist”), Middle Low German wrempen (“to wrinkle, scrunch, distort”), Old English wearp (“warp”). The word acquired its modern meaning from the 17th-century belief that an egg contains the animal in miniature and matures by growing larger and shedding its envelopes.
More words from French, Middle French, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans ontwikkel, ontwikkel
- ontwikkelto progress
- ontwikkelto progress through stages
- ontwikkelto bring out photographic images
Arabic طَوَّرَ
- طَوَّرَ (ṭawwara)to progress through stages
Basque garatu
- garatuto progress
Bulgarian разви́вам се, развивам се
- разви́вам се (razvívam se)to progress
- развивам се (razvivam se)to progress through stages
- развива́м (razvivám)to progress through stages
- разработвам (razrabotvam)to create
- проявявам (projavjavam)to bring out photographic images
Catalan desenvolupar, desenvolupar
- desenvoluparto progress
- desenvoluparto progress through stages
- desenvoluparto create
Chinese Cantonese 洗
- 洗 (sai²)to bring out photographic images
Chinese Mandarin 發展 /发展, 成長 /成长
- 發展 /发展 (fāzhǎn)to progress
- 成長 /成长 (chéngzhǎng)to progress through stages
- 形成 (xíngzhǎng)to create
- 沖洗 /冲洗 (chōngxǐ)to bring out photographic images
Czech vyvíjet se, vyvíjet se
- vyvíjet seto progress
- vyvíjet seto progress through stages
- vyvíjetto create
- vyvolatto bring out photographic images
- vyvíjet(chess) to place one's pieces actively
Danish udvikle, udvikle
- udvikleto progress
- udvikleto create
Dutch ontwikkelen, zich ontwikkelen
- ontwikkelento progress
- zich ontwikkelento progress through stages
- uitgroeiento progress through stages
- ontwikkelento create
- ontwikkelento bring out photographic images
Esperanto disvolviĝi, evoluigi
- disvolviĝito progress
- evoluigito progress through stages
- disvolvigito create
- evoluigito create
Estonian arenema, arendama
- arenemato progress
- arendamato progress
Finnish kehittää, kehittyä
- kehittääto progress
- kehittyäto progress through stages
- kehittääto create
- kehittääto bring out photographic images
French se développer, se développer
- se développerto progress
- se développerto progress through stages
- développerto progress through stages
- développerto create
- créerto create
- développerto bring out photographic images
- se développer(chess) to place one's pieces actively
German entwickeln, sich entwickeln
- entwickelnto progress
- sich entwickelnto progress through stages
- entwickelnto progress through stages
- entwickelnto create
- entwickelnto bring out photographic images
- entwickeln(chess) to place one's pieces actively
Greek αναπτύσσω, εμφανίζω
- αναπτύσσω (anaptýsso)to progress
- εμφανίζω (emfanízo)to bring out photographic images
Hebrew התפתח, התפתח
- התפתח (hitpatéakh)to progress
- התפתח (hitpatéakh)to progress through stages
- פיתח (pitéakh)to create
- פיתח (pitéakh)to bring out photographic images
Hungarian alakul, fejlődik
- alakulto progress
- fejlődikto progress
- alakulto progress through stages
- fejlesztto advance
- kifejlesztto advance
- kifejlesztto create
- kialakítto create
- előhívto bring out photographic images
Icelandic þróa
- þróato progress
Irish réal
- réalto bring out photographic images
Italian sviluppare, accrescere
- sviluppareto progress
- accrescereto progress through stages
- avanzareto advance
- approfondireto advance
- sviluppareto create
- creareto create
- sviluppareto bring out photographic images
Japanese 発展する, 発達する
- 発展する (hatten suru)to progress
- 発達する (hattatsu suru)to progress
Korean 발전하다
- 발전하다 (baljeonhada)to progress
Latin creare, fingere
- creareto create
- fingereto create
Lithuanian vystytis, lavintis
- vystytisto progress
- lavintisto progress
Malay hasil, hasil
- hasilto progress
- hasilto progress through stages
- hasilto create
- buatto create
- cucito bring out photographic images
Māori whakapakari, whakapakari
- whakapakarito progress
- whakapakarito progress through stages
- whakamaiangito advance
- whakawhanaketo advance
- whakapakarito advance
- whakawhanaketo create
Persian توسعه دادن, ایجاد کردن؛ ساختن؛ تولید کردن
- توسعه دادن (tose'eh dâdan)to progress
- ایجاد کردن؛ ساختن؛ تولید کردنto create
- ظاهر کردنto bring out photographic images
Polish rozwijać się, rozwinąć się
- rozwijać sięto progress
- rozwinąć sięto progress
- rozwijaćto advance
- rozwinąćto advance
- wypracowaćto create
- wywołaćto bring out photographic images
Portuguese desenvolver, desenvolver
- desenvolverto progress
- desenvolverto progress through stages
- desenvolverto create
- fazerto create
- criarto create
- revelarto bring out photographic images
Romanian se dezvolta
- se dezvoltato progress
Russian развива́ться, разви́ться
- развива́ться (razvivátʹsja)to progress
- разви́ться (razvítʹsja)to progress
- развива́ться (razvivátʹsja)to progress through stages
- разви́ться (razvítʹsja)to progress through stages
- развива́ть (razvivátʹ)to progress through stages
- разви́ть (razvítʹ)to progress through stages
- развива́ть (razvivátʹ)to create
- разви́ть (razvítʹ)to create
- разраба́тывать (razrabátyvatʹ)to create
- разрабо́тать (razrabótatʹ)to create
- проявля́ть (projavljátʹ)to bring out photographic images
- прояви́ть (projavítʹ)to bring out photographic images
Scottish Gaelic fàs, fàs
- fàsto progress
- fàsto progress through stages
- leasaichto progress through stages
Slovak rozvíjať sa, rozviť sa
- rozvíjať sato progress
- rozviť sato progress
- rozvíjaťto progress through stages
- rozviťto progress through stages
- vyvíjaťto progress through stages
- vyvinúťto progress through stages
Spanish desarrollarse, desarrollar
- desarrollarseto progress
- desarrollarto advance
- desarrollarto create
- revelarto bring out photographic images
Swedish utveckla, utvecklas
- utvecklato progress
- utvecklasto progress through stages
- utvecklato create
- framkallato bring out photographic images
- utveckla(chess) to place one's pieces actively
Thai พัฒนา, จำเริญ
- พัฒนา (pát-tá-naa)to progress
- จำเริญ (jam-rəən)to progress
- ทุเลา (tú-lao)to progress
- พัฒนา (pát-tá-naa)to progress through stages
- สร้างสรรค์ (sâang-sǎn)to create
Turkish gelişmek, gelişmek
- gelişmekto progress
- gelişmekto progress through stages
- geliştirmekto create
- develope etmekto bring out photographic images
Ukrainian розвива́тися, розви́нутися
- розвива́тися (rozvyvátysja)to progress
- розви́нутися (rozvýnutysja)to progress
- розвива́ти (rozvyváty)to progress through stages
- розви́ти (rozvýty)to progress through stages
- розви́нути (rozvýnuty)to progress through stages
- проявля́ти (projavljáty)to bring out photographic images
- прояви́ти (projavýty)to bring out photographic images
Vietnamese phát triển, trưởng thành
- phát triểnto progress
- trưởng thànhto progress through stages
- hình thànhto create
Yiddish אַנטוויקלען, אַנטוויקלען
- אַנטוויקלען (antviklen)to progress
- אַנטוויקלען (antviklen)to progress through stages
- אַנטוויקלען (antviklen)to create
Cite this entry
develop. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/develop
“develop.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/develop. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “develop,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/develop.
Source: develop on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.