Devolve (Verb)
Meaning 1
Pass on or delegate to another; "The representative devolved his duties to his aides while he was in the hospital".
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- The CEO devolved some of his responsibilities to the newly appointed manager in an effort to improve company workflow.
- As she went on maternity leave, Sarah devolved her tasks to her colleagues to avoid any disruption in the project timeline.
- The outgoing mayor devolved most of his executive powers to the deputy mayor before the official transfer of office.
- During his extended absence due to illness, he devolved day-to-day operations of the business to his trusted business partner.
- The project leader devolved the task of communicating with clients to a team member who was better at public relations.
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 2
Be inherited by; "The estate fell to my sister"; "The land returned to the family"; "The estate devolved to an heir that everybody had assumed to be dead".
Classification
Verbs of buying, selling, owning.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 3
Grow worse; "Her condition deteriorated"; "Conditions in the slums degenerated"; "The discussion devolved into a shouting match".
Classification
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care.
Examples
- The conversation devolved into a heated argument after just a few minutes of discussion.
- The company's financial situation continued to devolve, leading to widespread layoffs and restructuring.
- As the days turned into weeks, the patient's condition devolved, and her family feared the worst.
- The neighborhood had once been thriving, but over time, it began to devolve into a hub of crime and poverty.
- The debate devolved into personal attacks and insults, rather than addressing the real issues at hand.