development

[dih-vel-uhp-muhnt]

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

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• developmental adjective
• developmentary adjective
• developmentally adverb
• antidevelopment 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of development¹

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

Example Sentences

In addition, the city will dedicate $250,000 toward the development of new affordable housing, formally acknowledge that the ban harmed fair housing efforts and accept increased state monitoring of its housing policies.

From Los Angeles Times

"We are a poor community and have hardly seen any development," Mr Singh says.

From BBC

The state's governor, Republican Brian Kemp, had touted Hyundai's new electric vehicle operation as the biggest economic development project in the state's history, employing 1,200 people.

From BBC

This time, funding is based on a percentage of development costs, and developers will receive higher awarded amounts than they usually do.

From Los Angeles Times

Arson, unsupervised kids and various agriculture, construction and landscaping equipment have been responsible for the lion’s share; however, even those are much more common along roadways and near developments, where BurnBot hopes to operate.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• advancement 
• evolution 
• expansion 
• improvement 
• increase 
• progress