Develop Developed Developing Dɪˈveləp Gradually Company Start Extra

• the child is developing normally.
• some children develop more slowly than others.
• gradually these settlements developed into cities.
• human beings developed from earlier species of animals.

develop

Verb Forms

1. 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.
• Gradually these settlements developed into cities.
• Human beings developed from earlier species of animals.
• The place has rapidly developed from a small fishing community into a thriving tourist resort.
• The aim is to develop your personal skills.
• She developed the company from nothing.
• The competition helps entrants develop ideas into business concepts.
2. 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.
3. 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.

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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
• The conflict quickly developed into full-scale war.
• The situation is developing into a crisis.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. to become economically and socially more advanced
• SEE ALSO developed (1)
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/developed#developed_sng_1
• 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.
9. to add further explanation or details to an idea, story or musical theme
• SYNONYM elaborate (1)
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/elaborate_2#elaborate_sng_4
• 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.
10. 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 Origin

• mid 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.