Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb devolve

3 senses of devolve

Sense 1
devolve -- (pass on or delegate to another; "The representative devolved his duties to his aides while he was in the hospital")
       => delegate, designate, depute, assign -- (give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person))

Sense 2
fall, return, pass, devolve -- (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")
       => change hands, change owners -- (be transferred to another owner; "This restaurant changed hands twice last year")

Sense 3
devolve, deteriorate, drop, degenerate -- (grow worse; "Her condition deteriorated"; "Conditions in the slums degenerated"; "The discussion devolved into a shouting match")
       => worsen, decline -- (grow worse; "Conditions in the slum worsened")