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develop

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To develop is defined as to grow or to become more advanced, or can mean to cause something to grow, or to build improvements on land.

(verb)

An example of develop is when a teenage girl grows into a woman.
An example of develop is when a primitive country begins to experience advancements in industry and medicine.
An example of develop is when you create a new product.
An example of develop is when you construct apartment buildings on land.

See develop in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb

to build up or expand (a business, industry, etc.) to make stronger or more effective; strengthen (muscles) to bring (something latent or hypothetical) into activity or reality to cause (one's personality, a bud, etc.) to unfold or evolve gradually to make (housing, highways, etc.) more available or extensiveChess to position (chessmen or a chessman) strategically in the early stages of a gameMusic to elaborate (a theme) as by rhythmic or melodic changesPhotog.
1. to immerse (an exposed film, plate, or printing paper) in various chemical solutions in order to make the picture visible
2. to make (a picture) visible by doing this
to make (a theme or plot) known gradually to explain more clearly; enlarge uponGeom. to change the form of (a surface); esp., to flatten out (a curved surface)Math. to work out in detail or expand (a function or expression)

Origin: Fr développer < OFr desveloper < des- (L dis-), apart + voloper, to wrap, prob. OIt viluppo, a bundle < ? faluppa, bundle of straw; infl. by L volvere, to roll

intransitive verb

to come into being or activity; occur or happen
to become larger, fuller, better, etc.; grow or evolve, esp. by natural processes
☆ to become known or apparent; be disclosed
to progress economically, socially, and politically from an underdeveloped condition: the developing nations

Related Forms:

developable adjective

See develop in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb de·vel·oped, de·vel·op·ing, de·vel·ops

verb, transitive

To bring from latency to or toward fulfillment: an instructor who develops the capabilities of each student.
a. To expand or enlarge: developed a national corporation into a worldwide business.
b. To aid in the growth of; strengthen: exercises that develop muscles.
c. To improve the quality of; refine: develops his recipes to perfection; an extra year of study to develop virtuosic technique.
a. To cause to become more complex or intricate; add detail and fullness to; elaborate: began with a good premise but developed it without imagination.
b. Music To elaborate (a theme) with rhythmic and harmonic variations.
a. To bring into being gradually: develop a new cottage industry.
b. To set forth or clarify by degrees: developed her thesis in a series of articles.
a. To come to have gradually; acquire: develop a taste for opera; develop a friendship.
b. To become affected with; contract; developed a rash; developed agoraphobia.
To cause gradually to acquire a specific role, function, or form, as:
a. To influence the behavior of toward a specific end: an investigator who develops witnesses through flattery and intimidation.
b. To cause (a tract of land) to serve a particular purpose: developed the site as a community of condominiums.
c. To make available and effective to fulfill a particular end or need: develop the state's water resources to serve a growing population.
d. To convert or transform: developed the play into a movie.
Games To move (a chess piece) to or toward a more strategic position.
a. To process (a photosensitive material), especially with chemicals, in order to render a recorded image visible.
b. To render (an image) visible by this means.

verb, intransitive

a. To grow by degrees into a more advanced or mature state: With hard work, she developed into a great writer. See Synonyms at mature.
b. To increase or expand.
c. To improve; advance: Their skill developed until it rivaled their teacher's.
To come gradually into existence or activity: Tension developed between students and faculty.
To come gradually to light; be disclosed: reports the news as it develops.
Biology
a. To progress from earlier to later stages of a life cycle: Caterpillars develop into butterflies.
b. To progress from earlier to later or from simpler to more complex stages of evolution.