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⇱ DEVELOPMENT Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com


development

American  
[dih-vel-uhp-muhnt] / dɪˈvɛl əp mənt /

noun

  1. the act or process of developing; growth; progress.

    child development; economic development.

    Synonyms:
    maturation, opening, evolution, growth, elaboration, expansion
    Antonyms:
    disintegration, deterioration
  2. a significant consequence or event.

    recent developments in the field of science.

  3. a developed or advanced state or form.

    Drama reached its highest development in the plays of Shakespeare.

    Synonyms:
    ripeness, maturity
  4. Music. the part of a movement or composition in which a theme or themes are developed, or unfolded and elaborated, by various technical means, so as to reveal their inherent possibilities.

  5. a large group of private houses or of apartment houses, often of similar design, constructed as a unified community, especially by a real-estate developer or government organization.

    Synonyms:
    subdivision, community
  6. Chess. the act or process of developing chess pieces.

  7. Mining. the work of digging openings, as tunnels, raises, and winzes, to give access to new workings, and of erecting necessary structures.


development British  
/ dɪˈvɛləpmənt /

noun

  1. the act or process of growing, progressing, or developing

  2. the product or result of developing

  3. a fact, event, or happening, esp one that changes a situation

  4. an area or tract of land that has been developed

  5. Also called: development section.  the section of a movement, usually in sonata form, in which the basic musical themes are developed

  6. chess

    1. the process of developing pieces

    2. the manner in which they are developed

    3. the position of the pieces in the early part of a game with reference to their attacking potential or defensive efficiency

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • antidevelopment adjective
  • developmental adjective
  • developmentally adverb
  • developmentary adjective
  • hyperdevelopment noun
  • hyperdevelopmental adjective
  • nondevelopment noun
  • nondevelopmental adjective
  • nondevelopmentally adverb
  • postdevelopmental adjective
  • predevelopment noun
  • self-development noun
  • subdevelopment noun
  • superdevelopment noun
  • undevelopment noun
  • undevelopmental adjective
  • undevelopmentally adverb

Etymology

Origin of development

First recorded in 1745–55; develop + -ment, or from French développement

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It is understood the development was not related to the most recent series of Strictly.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Maxson’s arrival makes sense at this stage in Oracle’s development, said Mizuho analyst Siti Panigrahi in a note.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Given the pace of development in AI, there’s hope that help may be on the way, eventually.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

Perhaps the most concentrated assault in the proposed budget, as my colleague Hayley Smith reported, is the one aimed at research, development, and construction of renewable energy sources.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

It is important here to distinguish between teleological history—the notion that history has a purpose or goal—and retrospective history, which seeks to study history as a process of development.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.