to gradually grow or become bigger, more advanced, stronger, etc.; to make something do this
From birth to age 5, a child's brain develops rapidly.
Some children develop more slowly than others.
develop into something Gradually these settlements developed into cities.
develop from something Human beings developed from earlier species of animals.
develop from something into something The place has rapidly developed from a small fishing community into a thriving tourist resort.
develop something The aim is to develop your personal skills.
develop something from something She developed the company from nothing.
develop something into something The competition helps entrants develop ideas into business concepts.
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.
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.
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.
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.
develop into something The conflict quickly developed into full-scale war.
The situation is developing into a crisis.
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.
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.
to become economically and socially more advanced
For a country to develop, a good road network is essential.
Their economy was developing at an incredible pace.
to add further explanation or details to an idea, story or musical theme
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.
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.
