develop

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2017

de•vel•op /dɪˈvɛləp/   v. 

1. to bring out the possibilities (of);
   come or bring to a more advanced state:
   [no object] Her reading skills were developing at a rapid pace.
   [~ + object] new plans to develop natural resources.
2. to (cause to) grow or expand:
   [no object] Your biceps will develop quickly with that exercise.
   [~ + object] exercises to develop your biceps.
3. to bring into being or activity;
   produce:
   [~ + object] to develop new techniques.
4. to (cause to) come into an active state, such as by natural growth or internal processes:
   [no object] Cancer developed rapidly in the lab mice.
   [~ + object] He had begun to develop an allergy.
5. to elaborate or expand in detail;
   show in detail:
   [~ + object] began to gather facts to develop his theory.
6. to build on or improve (a piece of land), esp. so as to make more profitable:
   [~ + object] The builders are developing that part of town.
7. to be made visible, clear, or easy to see;
   become manifest:
   [no object] The plot develops slowly.
   [It + ~ + that clause] It developed that my client had an alibi for that night.
8. Photography to immerse (film) in chemicals so that an image becomes visible:
   [no object] With this instant film, the picture develops in only one minute.
   [~ + object] How long will it take to develop these pictures?

de•vel•op•ment, n. 

[countable] Developments were proceeding so fast he could no longer keep up.

[uncountable] the development of nuclear weapons.

Related Words

develop is a verb, development is a noun, developing and developed are adjectives:
Learners want to develop good language skills. Their development was very slow. Developing countries are poor; developed countries are rich.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2017

de•vel•op  (di vel′əp), v.t. 

1. to bring out the capabilities or possibilities of;
   bring to a more advanced or effective state:
   to develop natural resources; to develop one's musical talent.
2. to cause to grow or expand:
   to develop one's muscles.
3. to elaborate or expand in detail:
   to develop a theory.
4. to bring into being or activity;
   generate;
   evolve.
5. [Drafting.] to transfer the details of (a more or less two-dimensional design, pattern, or the like) from one surface, esp. one that is prismatic or cylindrical, onto another, usually planar, in such a way that the distances between points remain the same.
6. Developmental Biology [Biol.]
   • to cause to go through the process of natural evolution from a previous and lower stage.
   • to cause to progress from an embryonic to an adult form.
7. Mathematics to express in an extended form, as in a series.
8. Music and Dance to unfold, by various technical means, the inherent possibilities of (a theme).
9. [Photog.]
   • Photography to render visible (the latent image on an exposed film or the like).
   • Photography to treat (an exposed film or the like) with chemicals so as to render the latent image visible.
10. Chess to bring (a piece) into effective play, esp. during the initial phase of a game when pieces are moved from their original position on the board:
    He developed his rook by castling.
11. Mining to prepare (a new mine) for working by digging access openings and building necessary structures.

v.i. 

12. to grow into a more mature or advanced state;
    advance;
    expand:
    She is developing into a good reporter.
13. to come gradually into existence or operation;
    be evolved.
14. to be disclosed;
    become evident or manifest:
    The plot of the novel developed slowly.
15. Photography to undergo developing, as a photographic film.
16. Developmental Biology [Biol.]
    • to progress from an embryonic to an adult form.
    • to progress from earlier to later stages of ontogeny or phylogeny.
    • to reach sexual maturity.

de•vel′op•a•ble adj. 
de•vel′op•a•bil′i•ty, n. 

• Middle French développer, Old French desveloper, equivalent. to des- dis-¹ + voloper to wrap up; see envelop
• 1585–95

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

develop /dɪˈvɛləp/ vb

1. to come or bring to a later or more advanced or expanded stage; grow or cause to grow gradually
2. (transitive) to elaborate or work out in detail
3. to disclose or unfold (thoughts, a plot, etc) gradually or (of thoughts, etc) to be gradually disclosed or unfolded
4. to come or bring into existence; generate or be generated: he developed a new faith in God
5. (intransitive) often followed by from: to follow as a result (of); ensue (from): a row developed following the chairman's remarks
6. (transitive) to contract (a disease or illness)
7. (transitive) to improve the value or change the use of (land), as by building
8. (transitive) to exploit or make available the natural resources of (a country or region)
9. (transitive) to treat (film, plate, or paper previously exposed to light, or the latent image in such material) with chemical solutions in order to produce a visible image
10. to progress or cause to progress from simple to complex stages in the growth of an individual or the evolution of a species
11. (transitive) to elaborate upon (a musical theme) by varying the melody, key, etc
12. (transitive) to expand (a function or expression) in the form of a series
13. (transitive) to project or roll out (a surface) onto a plane without stretching or shrinking any element
14. to bring (a piece) into play from its initial position on the back rank

Etymology: 19th Century: from Old French desveloper to unwrap, from des- dis-¹ + veloper to wrap; see envelop

deˈvelopable adj