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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of devolve
Those began with a shootout win to upset Toronto, 6-5, but then devolved into a home loss to the Rangers and a road defeat at the hands of the Kings, which came by a gruesome 14-2 aggregate score.
—
Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 31 Mar. 2025
At that point, the game seemed destined to end without a score as the weather devolved into wind and some raindrops here and there.
—Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2025
This takes about 20 minutes, at which point Rahma and cohost Andrew Kuo (co-creator of Subway Takes) valiantly try to talk through the clip and end up immediately devolving into a stream of consciousness babble.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2025
The New York Times: A Tuesday town hall for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) outside of Atlanta quickly devolved into chaos, as police officers forcibly removed several protesters.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for devolve
Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 31 Mar. 2025
At that point, the game seemed destined to end without a score as the weather devolved into wind and some raindrops here and there.
—Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2025
This takes about 20 minutes, at which point Rahma and cohost Andrew Kuo (co-creator of Subway Takes) valiantly try to talk through the clip and end up immediately devolving into a stream of consciousness babble.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2025
The New York Times: A Tuesday town hall for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) outside of Atlanta quickly devolved into chaos, as police officers forcibly removed several protesters.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for devolve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devolve
Verb
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That volume is masking deteriorating demand from key sectors - particularly domestic manufacturing, which drives more than 60% of big rig ton miles, and ocean imports.—
Lisa Baertlein,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
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The setting of the urban scenes was crafted by dressing up these Welsh locations to mimic a deteriorating American metropolis, Screen Rant reported.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Her friend Alice is descending a dimly lit stairway.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
20 Apr. 2025
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In an era when political discourse so often descends into outrage and division — on cable news, in Congress, even in school board races — the quiet decency shown in Skokie feels all the more remarkable.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The ongoing humanitarian crisis is worsened by widespread poverty, food insecurity, and a crumbling health care system, displacing over a million people from their homes in search of safety.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Apr. 2025
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Here’s what students and educators across the state told us about the floods and leaks, overcrowding and inaccessibility, safety and outages, crumbling buildings and heating and cooling problems that impact every part of their day.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The administration’s threat of tariffs on pharmaceuticals risks political backlash, worsening drug shortages and future battles over who pays.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
22 Apr. 2025
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The death of the head of the Catholic Church comes after a series of worsening health problems, including a respiratory crisis that left him in critical condition in recent months.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Muir declined to speak to The Athletic about the evolution of Stanford athletics.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
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Both the Probation Department and DMH declined to comment.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devolve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devolve. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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