as in to deteriorate
to become worse or of less value
the once-lovely neighborhood has devolved into a squalid slum
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Recent Examples of devolve
Some have predicted that the feud between Massie and Trump could devolve into a costly intra-party civil war for Republicans.
—
Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2025
Nor has beach access devolved into yet another red versus blue issue.
—David Litt, Time, 28 July 2025
The Tuesday night meeting was attended by dozens of protesters and the scene frequently devolved into shouting matches, according to Fox 13 Memphis.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2025
The trailer then devolves into the entrepreneur launching Bumble as a response to Tinder.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for devolve
Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2025
Nor has beach access devolved into yet another red versus blue issue.
—David Litt, Time, 28 July 2025
The Tuesday night meeting was attended by dozens of protesters and the scene frequently devolved into shouting matches, according to Fox 13 Memphis.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2025
The trailer then devolves into the entrepreneur launching Bumble as a response to Tinder.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for devolve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devolve
Verb
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But after the Sriracha-maker callously withheld payments from Underwood, the relationship deteriorated and litigation followed.—
Kate Vitasek,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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But this week, the situation in Donetsk has rapidly deteriorated, with Russian forces making important advances to the north east of Dobropilia, altering control of the area Witkoff has been discussing with the Kremlin.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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First responders descended on the scene as a plume of smoke shrouded the five-story furnace building on Bells Lane.—
Ruby Grisin,
The Courier-Journal,
19 Aug. 2025
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In the Petworth neighborhood, roughly 20 officers from the FBI, Homeland Security, Park Police and U.S. Marshals descended on an apartment building on Tuesday morning.—
Matt Brown,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
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An unreliable grid, crumbling infrastructure, and inefficient factories aren’t just economic problems.—
Jake Loosararian,
Fortune,
28 Aug. 2025
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It's set 152 years following the turbulent events seen in Season 2, when The Foundation has greatly enhanced its influence and the Cleon clones' Galactic Empire is crumbling as Seldon and his paranormal protege Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell) have predicted.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The hurricane's outer bands are expected to bring worsening weather conditions to North Carolina's coast by the evening of Aug. 20, the hurricane center said.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
The Enquirer,
21 Aug. 2025
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García Mercado is just one of so many Puerto Ricans who've felt forced to leave their island because of a lack of economic opportunity amid its decades-long debt crisis, worsening infrastructure, rising prices amid a wave of gentrification, and deteriorating services.—
Adrian Florido,
NPR,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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IndyStar reached out to multiple local experts, including the ACLU, to weigh in on the images, but experts declined to comment on this specific case.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
30 Aug. 2025
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The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority declined to comment, citing pending litigation.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
30 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devolve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devolve. Accessed 2 Sep. 2025.
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