developverb/dɪˈvɛl.əp/

• 1

  archaicTo discover, find out; to uncover.

  • ‘The mystery which I cannot develop, may by that time be removed […].’
  • The plaintiff's case on liability was pretty solid. One of the herbal ingredients in Vita-Pote turned out to have a well-recognized association with temporary impotence. When it developed that the defendant had never really investigated what the ingredients in Vita-Pote could do to men, the local legal pundits started saying there was no way the plaintiff could lose.
• 2

  To change with a specific direction, progress.

  • Let's see how things develop and then make our decision.
• 3

  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.
  • 1868-1869, Robert Owen, Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of Vertebrates All insects […] acquire the jointed legs before the wings are fully developed.
• 4

  To advance; to further; to promote the growth of.

  • We must develop our own resources to the utmost.
• 5

  To create.

  • I need to develop a plan for the next three weeks.
  • Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus.[…]A photo processing technique called focus stacking has changed that. Developed as a tool to electronically combine the sharpest bits of multiple digital images, focus stacking is a boon to biologists seeking full focus on a micron scale.
• 6

  To bring out images latent in photographic film.

  • Please develop this roll of film.
• 7

  To acquire something usually over a period of time.

  • I have been in England enough to develop a British accent.
  • You will develop calluses if you play the cello.
• 8

  board-gameschessgamesTo place one's pieces actively.

  • I need to develop my white-square bishop.