development

noun

di-ˈve-ləp-mənt How to pronounce development (audio)
Definition of developmentnext
1
as in evolution
the act or process of going from the simple or basic to the complex or advanced the development of an idea into a marketable product

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Relevance

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2
as in outcome
a condition or occurrence traceable to a cause a development that the writers of the law never anticipated or intended

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3
as in growth
the process of becoming mature a tulip's development from a bulb into a flower

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of development Further development will be needed to scale the system to larger numbers of optical modes and faster control speeds before it can be used in practical imaging systems. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026 The City Council unanimously approved the development in May. — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026 Another issue that emerged in the final weeks was the development of artificial intelligence data centers on federal land. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026 Their work is part of a larger grassroots campaign against any new warehouses or logistics centers in town; other residents, however, have supported development as a way to bring more tax revenue. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for development
Recent Examples of Synonyms for development
  1. evolution
  2. outcome
  3. growth
  4. progress
  5. result
  6. maturation
  7. expansion
  8. resultant
Noun
  • The study continued that natural selection, genetic drift, and recombination biases shape the evolution of nonribosomal peptides, a class of compounds used in antibiotics such as penicillin, as well as toxins.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The cutting-edge building details the city’s evolution from a humble fishing village to a bustling metropolis with over 18 million residents.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of evolution
Noun
  • Radical Numerics has not revealed the clinical outcomes of the patient who was given the AI virus, and the study has yet to be peer-reviewed.
    — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The model uses a World Reasoning Action Model (WRAM) architecture to connect task reasoning, outcome prediction, and action generation.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of outcome
Noun
  • This growth is set to continue, with global renewable power capacity expected to rise by nearly 4,600 GW between 2025 and 2030.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • For a decade, software investors could largely assume healthy margins and concentrate on growth.
    — Mala Ramakrishnan, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of growth
Noun
  • The Hawks’ special teams, mainly the power play, have been a work in progress for some time now.
    — Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • But scientific progress rarely stays within neat national boxes for long, even when governments would prefer it to.
    — Ruby Wang, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of progress
Noun
  • Initial results indicate that the method can separate metal chlorides from magnet material more efficiently, allowing nearly all the metals to be extracted while using comparatively small amounts of chemicals.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Grocery stores in several European countries are dealing with incidents affecting refrigerator and freezer systems that appear to be the results of cyberattacks.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of result
Noun
  • Today the news arrived that the third bourbon in this series was finished in chestnut barrels, an uncommon but not unheard of wood in the world of whiskey maturation.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Donaldson, however, is among the few YouTubers entering the most recent maturation of creators-turned-entrepreneurs because of the maintenance of multiple different corporate entities.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of maturation
Noun
  • The backstory Opened in 2017 as part of Ritz-Carlton’s expansion into Southeast Asia, this was one of the brand’s boldest statements.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2026
  • But Giovanni Marcantoni, Volo's founder and CEO, told CNBC that about three-fourths of its growth has come from organic expansion, rather than through acquisitions, as more Americans look for ways to build community.
    — Alex Harring,Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of expansion
Noun
  • Inadequate funding and the resultant low pay for correctional officers, when compared to other law enforcement agencies, have plagued the bureau for years.
    — Scott Peyton, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Surprisingly, despite his role in the Fast & Furious franchise and the resultant persona fans project on him, Gibson is, admittedly, not interested in pursuing motorsport and had never been drifting.
    — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of resultant

Browse Nearby Words

developing
development
developmental
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Cite this Entry

“Development.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/development. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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