What does "develop" mean?
To discover, find out; to uncover.
Develop
/dɪˈvɛl.əp/ verb
verb ·Top 500 ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To discover, find out; to uncover.
- Grammar: develop is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: grow, accrue, accumulate, achieve.
- Useful contrasts: prepackaged, atrophies, atrophying.
- Usage evidence: The mandatory character of schooling is rarely analyzed in the multitude of works dedicated to the study of the various ways to develop within children the desire to learn.
How to use "develop"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "develop" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "develop" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "develop" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "develop" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "develop" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "grow" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "develop", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To discover, find out; to uncover. archaic, impersonal, transitive
"‘The mystery which I cannot develop, may by that time be removed […].’"
- 2 come to have or undergo a change of (physical features and attributes) wordnet
- 3 To change with a specific direction, progress. intransitive
"Let's see how things develop and then make our decision."
- 4 change the use of and make available or usable wordnet
- 5 To progress through a sequence of stages. ambitransitive
"Isabel developed from a tropical depression to a tropical storm to a hurricane. An embryo develops into a fetus and then into an infant."
Show 26 more definitions
- 6 expand in the form of a series wordnet
- 7 To advance; to further; to promote the growth of. transitive
"We must develop our own resources to the utmost."
- 8 grow, progress, unfold, or evolve through a process of evolution, natural growth, differentiation, or a conducive environment wordnet
- 9 To create. transitive
"I need to develop a plan for the next three weeks."
- 10 cause to grow and differentiate in ways conforming to its natural development wordnet
- 11 To bring out images latent in photographic film. transitive
"Please develop this roll of film."
- 12 happen wordnet
- 13 To acquire something usually over a period of time. transitive
"I have been in England enough to develop a British accent."
- 14 be gradually disclosed or unfolded; become manifest wordnet
- 15 To place one's pieces actively. transitive
"I need to develop my white-square bishop."
- 16 elaborate by the unfolding of a musical idea and by the working out of the rhythmic and harmonic changes in the theme wordnet
- 17 To cause a ball to become more open and available to be played on later. Usually by moving it away from the cushion, or by opening a pack.
- 18 become technologically advanced wordnet
- 19 To change the form of (an algebraic expression, etc.) by executing certain indicated operations without changing the value.
- 20 grow emotionally or mature wordnet
- 21 gain through experience wordnet
- 22 create by training and teaching wordnet
- 23 elaborate, as of theories and hypotheses wordnet
- 24 move into a strategically more advantageous position wordnet
- 25 move one's pieces into strategically more advantageous positions wordnet
- 26 superimpose a three-dimensional surface on a plane without stretching, in geometry wordnet
- 27 generate gradually wordnet
- 28 work out wordnet
- 29 make something new, such as a product or a mental or artistic creation wordnet
- 30 make visible by means of chemical solutions wordnet
- 31 come into existence; take on form or shape wordnet
Example
"The mandatory character of schooling is rarely analyzed in the multitude of works dedicated to the study of the various ways to develop within children the desire to learn."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "develop"?
Common synonyms include: grow, accrue, accumulate, achieve, acquire, acquire.
How do you use "develop" in a sentence?
The mandatory character of schooling is rarely analyzed in the multitude of works dedicated to the study of the various ways to develop within children the desire to learn.
How do you pronounce "develop"?
Pronounced /dɪˈvɛl.əp/.
Etymology
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.