growing
Americanadjective
-
becoming greater in quantity, size, extent, or intensity.
growing discontent among industrial workers.
-
having or showing life.
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
Growing up, Cultura Profética was one of the bands that influenced me the most.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
Growing up in New York turned him into a Knicks fan, Mamdani said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
The UK government launched its "Growing up in the online world" consultation in March 2026 to examine how to better protect children online.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
Growing to around 1 meter in length, the fish was likely an ambush predator that hunted smaller animals in freshwater systems.
From Science Daily • May 25, 2026
It was the month of Hathor in the Season of Growing, and the air was cool despite the heat from the hooded furnaces that lined the courtyard.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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.
