- present participle of grow.
growing
Americanadjective
-
becoming greater in quantity, size, extent, or intensity.
growing discontent among industrial workers.
-
having or showing life.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of growing
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English growende. See grow, -ing 2
Explanation
A growing thing (or person) is in the process of developing, often by getting bigger. You can argue for a second helping of cake by saying, "I'm a growing kid!" Your puppy is a growing animal, changing and developing into an adult dog, and your cactus is a growing plant, even if the only evidence of that growth is one pink bloom each year. You can also use this adjective for things that increase, like your growing bank account or your growing interest in woodworking. As a noun, growing means the biological process of change and development itself: "Growing isn't always easy, but we all have to do it."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The expansion of space will prevent it from crossing the growing distance.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
In our Saturday Essay, Pamela Paul examines the growing divide over whether sociology’s mission is to pursue objective truth or advance social change, and what that means beyond academia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
The Scholeys are one of a growing number of couples who feel the rigid rules around weddings are making getting married more stressful, more expensive and less meaningful.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Going forward, you could automate contributions to your emergency fund indefinitely, so the reserve is always growing.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
And so I settled in behind Betsie’s table, writing down sales and repair charges, recording cash spent for parts and supplies, and leafing through past records in growing disbelief.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
