Meaning & use
developers
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“developers” is a form of “developer”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
People or companies that build new houses, offices, or other buildings on land.
Grammar: Countable noun; used in the plural here. The singular is 'developer'.
Patterns
- property developers
- a housing developer
- developers build something
The developers plan to build fifty new homes on the edge of town.
Local residents are worried that developers will destroy the green space.
A large developer bought the old factory site last year.
nounpluralcomputing
People who write computer programs or create software and apps.
Grammar: Countable noun; the singular is 'developer'. Often used with 'software' or 'app'.
Patterns
- software developers
- app developers
- a team of developers
The company hired three new developers to work on the mobile app.
Developers often share their code on public websites.
She joined a group of developers who meet every month to discuss new tools.
nounplural
People or organizations that create or improve something, such as a product, idea, or skill.
Grammar: Countable noun; singular 'developer'. Used more generally for anyone who makes something grow or improve.
Patterns
- developers of something
- curriculum developers
- product developers
The developers of the new vaccine worked for many years.
She is one of the key developers of the company's training program.
The developers behind the project presented their ideas to the board.
Word forms
| singular | developer |
|---|
Common combinations
- property developers
- Property developers are buying up land in the city center.
- software developers
- Software developers need to keep learning new programming languages.
- app developers
- App developers often release updates to fix bugs.
- a team of developers
- A team of developers is working on the new website.
- developers build something
- The developers built a whole new neighborhood in just two years.
Synonyms and how they differ
- builders
- More general and often refers to the workers who construct buildings, while 'developers' usually means the companies or people who plan and finance the projects.
- programmers
- Focuses on the coding aspect; 'developers' can also include designing and testing software, so it is broader.
- creators
- Very general; 'developers' is more specific to building or improving products, properties, or software.
Word family
- develop verb
- To grow, improve, or make something bigger or more advanced.
- development noun
- The process of growing or improving, or a new building project.
- developmental adjective
- Relating to growth or development, especially of children or ideas.
- developer noun
- Singular form; one person or company that develops.
Commonly confused: developers or developers'?
developers vs developers'
The apostrophe shows possession: 'the developers' plans' means the plans belonging to the developers. Without an apostrophe, 'developers' is just the plural.
Practice
The city approved the plan, so now the ______ will start building the new apartments next month.
Choose one answer.
The blank needs a plural noun for the people who build: 'developers'. 'Development' is a noun but means the process or the project itself, not the people. 'Develop' is a verb, and 'developmental' is an adjective, so neither fits grammatically.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “developers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.