EVOLVE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does evolve mean? 

• EVOLVE (verb)
  The verb EVOLVE has 3 senses:

1. work out

2. undergo development or evolution

3. gain through experience

  Familiarity information: EVOLVE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• EVOLVE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they evolve    ... he / she / it evolves   
Past simple: evolved   
Past participle: evolved   
-ing form: evolving   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Work out

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

develop; evolve; germinate

Context example:

We have developed a new theory of evolution

Hypernyms (to "evolve" is one way to...):

create by mental act; create mentally (create mentally and abstractly rather than with one's hands)

Verb group:

develop (make something new, such as a product or a mental or artistic creation)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

Did he evolve his major works over a short period of time?

Sense 2

Meaning:

Undergo development or evolution

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

Modern man evolved a long time ago

Hypernyms (to "evolve" is one way to...):

develop (grow, progress, unfold, or evolve through a process of evolution, natural growth, differentiation, or a conducive environment)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "evolve"):

differentiate; specialise; specialize; speciate (evolve so as to lead to a new species or develop in a way most suited to the environment)

derive (come from)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

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

evolution ((biology) the sequence of events involved in the evolutionary development of a species or taxonomic group of organisms)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Gain through experience

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

acquire; develop; evolve

Context example:

develop a passion for painting

Hypernyms (to "evolve" is one way to...):

change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)

Verb group:

acquire; develop; get; grow; produce (come to have or undergo a change of (physical features and attributes))

develop (elaborate by the unfolding of a musical idea and by the working out of the rhythmic and harmonic changes in the theme)

develop; explicate; formulate (elaborate, as of theories and hypotheses)

develop (generate gradually)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

evolution ((biology) the sequence of events involved in the evolutionary development of a species or taxonomic group of organisms)

 Context examples 

A group of epithelial neoplasms that arise from the exocrine pancreatic tissue and have the potential to evolve into invasive malignant neoplasms.

(Borderline Exocrine Pancreatic Neoplasm, NCI Thesaurus)

Patients usually develop a myelodysplastic syndrome which may evolve to a higher grade myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia.

(Alkylating Agent-Related Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

It usually evolves from a precancerous cervical lesion.

(Cervical squamous cell carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)

During HIV infection, the virus may evolve and become able to use alternative cell surface factors as receptors for cell attachment and entry.

(Co-Receptor Switching, NCI Thesaurus)

The childhood form of this disease tends to evolve into a systemic vasculitis.

(Dermatomyositis, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Genes involved in fighting specific pathogens can evolve rapidly – both in plants and animals.

(Ancient defence strategy continues to protect plants from pathogens, University of Cambridge)

Some little time ago I had remarked to our young friend here that free hydrogen was evolved from the geyser.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The massive Platymitra macrocarpa has perhaps evolved to provide fruit that appeals to more than one frugivore.

(Thai Elephants Help Spread Jungle Fruit's Seeds, Sadie Witkowski/VOA)

Neurons—the primary brain cells of the central nervous system—evolve from neural stem cells and during development “commit” to becoming neurons.

(Cerebral organoid model provides clues about how to prevent virus-induced brain cell death, National Institutes of Health)

And their successors were alive before they were supposed to have evolved.

(Mass extinction of land and sea biodiversity 250 million years ago not simultaneous, National Science Foundation)