developer

noun

de·​vel·​op·​er di-ˈve-lə-pər 

dē-

: one that develops: such as

a

: a chemical used to develop exposed photographic materials

b

: a person who develops real estate

c

: a person or company that develops computer software

Synonyms

• inventor
• designer
• founder
• creator

Examples of developer in a Sentence

the developer of software that is used the world over

Recent Examples on the Web

GitHub initially required developers to code and debug manually. —Son Nguyen, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025

Repeal minimum lot sizes, and a developer might find a way to build a cute narrow house in a gap between existing houses. —Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 7 July 2025

The buildings take a range of forms, are located in all neighborhoods, and are built and operated as rental or cooperative housing either by the city or by nonprofit developers. —Susanne Schindler, The Conversation, 7 July 2025

In the 1990s, for instance, developers tried to build a huge shopping mall in one of the few slivers of green space left in the Pigneto neighborhood, one of Rome’s densest. —Krista Langlois, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1772, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing developer

• co-developer

Kids Definition

developer

noun

de·​vel·​op·​er di-ˈvel-ə-pər 

: one that develops: as

a

: a chemical used to develop exposed photographic materials

b

: a person who develops real estate

especially : one who divides land and builds and sells houses on it