devolve

American  

[dih-volv] / dɪˈvɒlv /

verb (used with object)

devolved, devolving

1. to transfer or delegate (a duty, responsibility, etc.) to or upon another; pass on.

2. Obsolete. to cause to roll downward.

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verb (used without object)

devolved, devolving

1. to be transferred or passed on from one to another.

   The responsibility devolved on me.

2. Archaic. to roll or flow downward.

devolve British  

/ dɪˈvɒlv /

verb

1. to pass or cause to pass to a successor or substitute, as duties, power, etc

2. (intr; foll by on or upon) law (of an estate, etc) to pass to another by operation of law, esp on intestacy or bankruptcy

3. (intr; foll by on or upon) to depend (on)

   your argument devolves on how you interpret this clause

4. archaic to roll down or cause to roll down

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Usage

What does devolve mean? To devolve means to transfer or pass on from one to another, as in The discussion about world economics devolved into talking about who earns more money. To devolve also means to delegate or pass on responsibility to another, as in When the governor stepped down from office, his duties devolved to the lieutenant governor. Example: I usually devolve my weekly writeup to my assistant.

Other Word Forms

• devolvement noun

Etymology

Origin of devolve

1375–1425; late Middle English devolven < Latin dēvolvere to roll down, equivalent to dē- de- + volvere to roll

Explanation

You've probably heard that organisms evolve over time. Well, life is complicated, and sometimes things devolve instead — to devolve is to get worse instead of better. The de- in devolve is a clue to its meaning. When things devolve, they deteriorate, degenerate, fall apart, go to the dogs, and generally end up worse. When a classroom gets loud and rowdy, a teacher might say the class has devolved. There is another, less negative, meaning of devolve. You can devolve responsibilities: for example, the U.S. government could devolve a certain responsibility to the states. The non-negative meaning of devolve is kind of like passing things on in a will. If I devolve something to you, you inherit it.

Example Sentences

That could cause a correction to devolve into a bear market.

From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026

The Welsh government cannot introduce the tax until the UK government agrees to devolve the necessary powers.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

The Lakers got blown out again Tuesday, letting a close game devolve into a 128-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons, the Lakers’ sixth 20-point loss this season.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2026

The proposed legislation would devolve powers to local municipalities and counties to protect the ability of local ecosystems to exist, to flourish naturally, and to be restored when harmed.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2025

Words devolve into letters, letters into unintelligible bumps.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr