developer

American  

[dih-vel-uh-per] / dɪˈvɛl ə pər /

noun

1. a person or thing that develops or innovates.

   a software developer.

2. Photography. a reducing agent or solution for developing developing a film or the like.

3. a person who invests in and develops the urban or suburban potentialities of real estate, especially by subdividing the land into home sites and then building houses and selling them.

4. Shipbuilding. a person who lays out at full size the lines of a vessel and prepares templates from them.

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developer British  

/ dɪˈvɛləpə /

noun

1. a person or thing that develops something, esp a person who develops property

2. photog a solution of a chemical reducing agent that converts the latent image recorded in the emulsion of a film or paper into a visible image

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Etymology

Origin of developer

First recorded in 1825–35; develop + -er ¹

Example Sentences

“We’re incentivizing developers whose only go/no-go is whether the factory stays in business. To me, that’s a developer who is probably not very savvy.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

The party also placed some of Ma’s former subordinates in the Shenzhen municipal government and the chairman of a major property developer in the city under investigation in recent months.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

And while significant customer OpenAI is diversifying its backers, Lee reckons that Microsoft’s current stake in the ChatGPT developer is already worth $227 billion and the two companies are likely to continue their long-term relationship.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

The developer is expected to appeal against the decision.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Here she wouldn't be Dimple Shah, wayward, Americanized daughter of immigrant parents; she’d be just Dimple Shah, future web developer.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• builder
• planner