1. development

act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining

Example Sentences:
'he congratulated them on their development of a plan to meet the emergency'
'they funded research and development'

2. development, evolution

a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage)

Example Sentences:
'the development of his ideas took many years'
'the evolution of Greek civilization'
'the slow development of her skill as a writer'

• evolution

3. development, growing, growth, maturation, ontogenesis, ontogeny

(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level

Example Sentences:
'he proposed an indicator of osseous development in children'

• growing
• growth
• maturation
• ontogenesis
• ontogeny

4. development

a recent event that has some relevance for the present situation

Example Sentences:
'recent developments in Iraq'
'what a revolting development!'

5. development, exploitation

the act of making some area of land or water more profitable or productive or useful

Example Sentences:
'the development of Alaskan resources'
'the exploitation of copper deposits'

• exploitation

6. development

a district that has been developed to serve some purpose

Example Sentences:
'such land is practical for small park developments'

7. development

a state in which things are improving; the result of developing (as in the early part of a game of chess)

Example Sentences:
'after he saw the latest development he changed his mind and became a supporter'
'in chess your should take care of your development before moving your queen'

8. developing, development

processing a photosensitive material in order to make an image visible

Example Sentences:
'the development and printing of his pictures took only two hours'

• developing

9. development

(music) the section of a composition or movement (especially in sonata form) where the major musical themes are developed and elaborated