FluentPlex

develop

/dɪˈvɛl.əp/ verb A2
  1. To change with a specific direction, progress. (intransitive) · Let's see how things develop and then make our decision.
  2. To 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.
  3. To advance; to further; to promote the growth of. (transitive)
  4. To create. (transitive) · I need to develop a plan for the next three weeks.
  5. To bring out images latent in photographic film. (transitive) · Please develop this roll of film.
  6. To acquire something usually over a period of time. (transitive) · I have been in England enough to develop a British accent.· You will develop calluses if you play the cello.
  7. To place one's pieces actively. (transitive) · I need to develop my white-square bishop.
  8. 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.

He/she/it develops · Past developed · Past participle developed · -ing form developing

+ Save to review

Verb forms

Base form
develop
He/she/it
develops
Past
developed
Past participle
developed
-ing form
developing

From the library

There are some trees, Watson, which grow to a certain height, and then suddenly develop some unsightly eccentricity.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes, p. 29 · C1
"But the boy—he is fifteen, I understand, and probably very developed in mind, since his body has been circumscribed in action.
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, p. 58 · B2
Possibly you have seen pictures and read descriptions of the famous old building, so I will confine my account of it to saying that it is built in the shape of an L, the long arm being the more modern portion, and the shorter the ancient nucleus, from which the other had developed.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, p. 16 · B2
But none developed.
Anne of Green Gables, p. 130 · C1

Learn develop in real texts

With a free account, hover any word in the library for its meaning, hear it read aloud, save words for review timed to your memory, and see how much of each book you already know.

Create free account
Words, meanings, pronunciations and translations from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); how common each word is from wordfreq. Made into this dictionary by FluentPlex.