Library / English Dictionary

DEVOLVE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Grow worse

Example:

The discussion devolved into a shouting match

Synonyms:

degenerate; deteriorate; devolve; drop

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

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

decline; worsen (grow worse)

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

fatigue; jade; pall; tire; weary (lose interest or become bored with something or somebody)

fade; languish (become feeble)

rot; waste (become physically weaker)

Sentence frames:

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

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be inherited by

Example:

The estate devolved to an heir that everybody had assumed to be dead

Synonyms:

devolve; fall; pass; return

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

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

change hands; change owners (be transferred to another owner)

Verb group:

accrue; fall (come into the possession of)

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

fall; light (fall to somebody by assignment or lot)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s somebody

Sense 3

Meaning:

Pass on or delegate to another

Example:

The representative devolved his duties to his aides while he was in the hospital

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

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

assign; delegate; depute; designate (give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something to somebody

Derivation:

devolution; devolvement (the delegation of authority (especially from a central to a regional government))

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