DEVELOP Synonyms: 160 Similar and Opposite Words

develop

verb

di-ˈve-ləp

as in to evolve

to gradually become clearer or more detailed as the story of the bombing developed, the scope of the tragedy became more apparent

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Relevance

as in to acquire

to come to have gradually the youngster developed a taste for green olives

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to grow

to become mature the wine is developing nicely in the new oak barrels

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as in to expand

to express more fully and in greater detail marketing people developed the initial idea into a complete promotional campaign

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as in to forge

to produce or bring about especially by long or repeated effort outside consultants helped the company develop an effective marketing strategy

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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 develop It's called Muse Spark and is the first from the company's new Muse series, developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs. —

Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2026 Director Kat Coiro’s movie stars Halle Bailey as a chef who secretly starts living in a vacant Italian villa and develops feelings for the cousin (Regé-Jean Page) of the residence’s owner. —

Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2026 The rocket itself was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology specifically for commercial space missions. —

Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 11 Apr. 2026 Although in the hours before splashdown, all eyes were on their spacecraft’s heat shield — which NASA previously said was flawed, according to The New York Times — NASA developed a modified path for the Artemis II mission in order to keep the crew safe during re-entry. —

Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for develop

Recent Examples of Synonyms for develop

Verb

The executive director of Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District provided a statement, saying the wharf is evolving, new businesses are opening, and the area is expanding in ways that make Fisherman's Wharf more accessible and engaging.

— Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
Govan said 45 curators collaborated on the installation, which fills about 110,000 square feet of gallery space and will continue to evolve over time.

— City News Service, Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026