To develop means to grow, change, or improve over time. When you develop a new skill like playing the piano, you start as a beginner and gradually become more capable through practice. When scientists develop a vaccine, they work through many steps to create something that didn't exist before.

Development happens in stages. A tadpole develops into a frog. A small idea develops into a detailed plan. A friendship develops as two people spend time together and learn to trust each other. The key is that development takes time and involves real change, not just getting older or bigger.

You can also develop photographs by treating special film with chemicals so hidden images appear, or develop land by building homes and roads where there was once open space.

When something is under development, people are actively working to improve or create it. A video game company might have several games in development at once. When you work to develop your potential, you're deliberately practicing and learning to become more skilled or knowledgeable. The noun form is development: you might track the development of a butterfly from caterpillar to chrysalis to adult, or notice the development of your own mathematical abilities from kindergarten through fifth grade.