Meaning & use
developer
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person or company that writes computer programs and applications.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a developer' or 'developers'. Often followed by 'of' or 'for': a developer of mobile apps.
Patterns
- a software developer
- a developer of something
- a developer for a company
She works as a software developer for a large tech company.
The developer released a new app update yesterday.
Our team hired a developer to build the website.
nouncountable
A person or company that buys land and builds houses, offices, or other buildings on it.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'property' or 'real estate': a property developer.
Patterns
- a property developer
- a real estate developer
- a developer builds something
The developer plans to build a new shopping center on the edge of town.
Local residents opposed the developer's plan to construct high-rise apartments.
He made his fortune as a real estate developer in the 1990s.
Word forms
| plural | developers |
|---|
Common combinations
- software developer
- She is a software developer at a startup.
- property developer
- The property developer bought the old factory.
- app developer
- The app developer fixed the bug quickly.
- game developer
- He works as a game developer for a major studio.
- real estate developer
- The real estate developer is building a new suburb.
Synonyms and how they differ
- programmer
- A programmer writes code, but a developer may also design and manage the whole project, so 'developer' is broader.
- coder
- Coder is informal and focuses only on writing code, while developer can include planning and testing.
- builder
- Builder refers to someone who constructs buildings, not software, so it only fits the property sense.
Word family
- develop verb
- To create or improve something over time.
- development noun
- The process of growing or building something.
- developmental adjective
- Relating to growth or development.
Commonly confused: developer or develop?
developer vs develop
Develop is the verb; developer is the person or company that does it.
Practice
The _____ is building a new apartment complex downtown.
Choose one answer.
The sentence needs a noun for a person or company that builds property, so 'developer' is correct. 'Development' is the process, not the person; 'develop' is a verb; 'developing' is a participle.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “developer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.