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Learn the origin, synonyms, and usage of the verb devolve, which means to pass on or fall down something, such as responsibility or power. See examples of devolve in sentences and legal contexts.
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.
Devolved is the past tense and past participle of devolve, which means to (cause power or responsibility to) be given to other people. Learn how to use devolved in sentences with different meanings and contexts.
verb [ T ] us / dɪˈvɑːlv / uk / dɪˈvɒlv / Add to word list. to ( cause power or responsibility to) be given to other people: To be a good manager, you must know how to devolve responsibility downward. devolve on/upon formal Those duties will necessarily devolve on/upon me. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Colonization & self-government.
Devolve means to give power or responsibility to someone or something lower or less important. Learn how to use this verb in different contexts, such as politics, business, law, and grammar.
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 ...
Learn the meaning, pronunciation and usage of the verb devolve, which means to transfer something to someone or something else. See examples, synonyms and related words in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
