develop

verb

OPAL WOPAL S

/dɪˈveləp/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they develop	/dɪˈveləp/ /dɪˈveləp/
he / she / it develops	/dɪˈveləps/ /dɪˈveləps/
past simple developed	/dɪˈveləpt/ /dɪˈveləpt/
past participle developed	/dɪˈveləpt/ /dɪˈveləpt/
-ing form developing	/dɪˈveləpɪŋ/ /dɪˈveləpɪŋ/

jump to other results

grow/improve

[intransitive, transitive] to gradually grow or become bigger, more advanced, stronger, etc.; to make something do this

The child is developing normally.
Some children develop more slowly than others.
develop into something Gradually these settlements developed into cities.
develop from something Human beings developed from earlier species of animals.
develop from something into something The place has rapidly developed from a small fishing community into a thriving tourist resort.
develop something The aim is to develop your personal skills.
develop something from something She developed the company from nothing.
develop something into something The competition helps entrants develop ideas into business concepts.

[transitive, intransitive] develop (something) to start to have a skill, ability, quality, etc. that becomes better and stronger; to become better and stronger

He's developed a real flair for management.
Their relationship has developed over a number of years.

Extra Examples

He is trying hard to develop a loving relationship with his daughter.
Physicians need to develop a better understanding of this issue when providing care for older patients.

Topics Change, cause and effectb1

new idea/product

[transitive] develop something to think of or produce a new idea, product, etc. and make it successful

The company develops and markets new software.
It takes time to develop new technology.
We are developing products for different parts of the industry.
to develop a strategy/system/programme
to develop a method/model/technique
A new type of painkilling drug has recently been developed.

Synonyms makemake

do
create
develop
produce
generate
form

These words all mean to make something from parts or materials, or to cause something to exist or happen.

make
to create or prepare something by combining materials or putting parts together; to cause something to exist or happen:
- She makes her own clothes.
- She made a good impression on the interviewer.
do
(rather informal) to make or prepare something, especially something artistic or something to eat:
- He did a beautiful drawing of a house.
- Who’s doing the food for the party?
create
to make something exist or happen, especially something new that did not exist before:
- Scientists disagree about how the universe was created.

make or create?Make is a more general word and is more often used for physical things: you would usually make a table/dress/cake but create jobs/wealth. You can use create for something physical in order to emphasize how original or unusual the object is: Try this new dish, created by our head chef.

develop
(used especially in business contexts) to think of and produce a new product:
- to develop new software
produce
to make things to be sold; to create something using skill:
- a factory that produces microchips
generate
to produce or create something, especially power, money or ideas:
- to generate electricity
- Brainstorming is a good way of generating ideas.
form
[often passive] to make something from something else; to make something into something else:
- Rearrange the letters to form a new word.
- The chain is formed from 136 links.

Patterns

to make/create/develop/produce/generate/form something from/out of something
to make/form something into something
to make/produce wine
to create/develop a new product
to create/produce/generate income/profits/wealth
to produce/generate electricity/heat/power

Extra Examples

We are gradually developing better treatments for these conditions.
A coherent strategy for getting more people back to work needs to be developed.
The purpose of this project was to develop a systematic teaching method that would foster self-directed learning.
The aim is to develop a system which will cost under $10 000.

Topics Scientific researcha2

disease/problem

[transitive, intransitive] develop (something) to begin to have something such as a disease or a problem; to start to affect somebody/something

She developed lung cancer at the age of sixty.
Her son developed asthma when he was two.
The car developed engine trouble and we had to stop.
If symptoms develop, seek help quickly.
Problems can develop unexpectedly.

Topics Illnessb1

happen/change

[intransitive] to start to happen or change, especially in a bad way

A crisis was rapidly developing in the Gulf.
We need more time to see how things develop before we take action.
develop into something The conflict quickly developed into full-scale war.
The situation is developing into a crisis.

Topics Change, cause and effectb1

build houses

[transitive] develop something to build new houses, factories, etc. on an area of land, especially land that was not being used effectively before

The site is being developed by a French company.

Extra Examples

A lot of residents in town feel that it would be tragic if the land were developed for residential use.
They have not yet received any applications for planning permission to develop the site.

create/improve facilities

[transitive] develop something to build or improve a building or other facilities

The company is developing a chain of hotels.
He is enthusiastic about plans to develop the leisure facilities at the site.

become economically advanced

[intransitive] (economics) (of a country) to become economically and socially more advanced

There have been many attempts to explain why some countries develop whilst others remain in poverty.
China is developing at a pace that is remarkable to behold.

idea/story/musical theme

[transitive] develop something to add further explanation or details to an idea, story or musical theme synonym elaborate (1)

She develops the theme more fully in her later books.
The piano then takes up the melody and develops it.
He began to develop these ideas in a series of paintings.

photographs

[transitive] develop something to treat film that has been used to take photographs with chemicals so that the pictures can be seen

When Lewis developed the film, he was astonished by what he saw.

Word Originmid 17th cent. (in the sense ‘unfold, unfurl’): from French développer, based on Latin dis- ‘un-’ + a second element of unknown origin found also in envelop.