develop

Verb

develop (third-person singular simple present develops, present participle developing, simple past and past participle developed or (archaic, rare) developt)

1. (archaic, impersonal, transitive) To discover, find out; to uncover.
   • ‘The mystery which I cannot develop, may by that time be removed […].’1791, Charlotte Smith, Celestina, Broadview, published 2004, page 176
   • 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...1999 September 1, Jim McElhaney, ABA Journal, volume 94, number 2, published 1 February 2008, page 24a
2. (intransitive) To change with a specific direction, progress.
   • Let's see how things develop and then make our decision.
3. (ambitransitive) 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.
   • All insects […] acquire the jointed legs before the wings are fully developed.1868-1869, Robert Owen, Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of Vertebrates

   Synonyms:

   shift, convert, draw, evolve, metamorphize, metamorphose, reconvert, transfigurate, transfigure, transform

4. (transitive) To advance; to further; to promote the growth of.
   • We must develop our own resources to the utmost.1881, Benjamin Jowett, Thucydides
5. (transitive) 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...2013 July-August, Catherine Clabby, “Focus on Everything”, in American Scientist

   Synonyms:

   contrive, generate, bring forth, cause, create, ferment, forge, engender, evolve, gin up

6. (transitive) To bring out images latent in photographic film.
   • Please develop this roll of film.
7. (transitive) 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. (transitive) To place one's pieces actively.
   • I need to develop my white-square bishop.
9. 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.
10. To change the form of (an algebraic expression, etc.) by executing certain indicated operations without changing the value.