sprout

American  

[sprout] / spraʊt /

verb (used without object)

1. to begin to grow; shoot forth, as a plant from a seed.

   Synonyms:

   develop, burgeon, bud, spring

2. (of a seed or plant) to put forth buds or shoots.

3. to develop or grow quickly.

   a boy awkwardly sprouting into manhood.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cause to sprout.

2. to remove sprouts from.

   Sprout and boil the potatoes.

noun

1. a shoot of a plant.

2. a new growth from a germinating seed, or from a rootstock, tuber, bud, or the like.

3. something resembling or suggesting a sprout, as in growth.

4. a young person; youth.

5. sprouts,

   1. the young shoots of alfalfa, soybeans, etc., eaten as a raw vegetable.

   2. Brussels sprout.

sprout British  

/ spraʊt /

verb

1. (of a plant, seed, etc) to produce (new leaves, shoots, etc)

2. to begin to grow or develop

   new office blocks are sprouting up all over the city

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noun

1. a newly grown shoot or bud

2. something that grows like a sprout

3. See Brussels sprout

Other Word Forms

• nonsprouting
  adjective
• resprout
  verb
• undersprout
  verb (used without object)
• undersprout
  noun
• unsprouted
  adjective
• unsprouting
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sprout

1150–1200; (v.) Middle English spr ( o ) uten, Old English -sprūtan, in āsproten (past participle; see a- ³); cognate with Middle Dutch sprūten, German spriessen to sprout; akin to Greek speírein to scatter; (noun) Middle English; compare Middle Dutch, Middle Low German sprute

Explanation

A sprout is a small growth on a plant — a little new bud. Other things can sprout too: kids are constantly sprouting (growing). The key thing to think of when you're trying to remember the meaning of sprout is growth — as a noun, a sprout is a new growth of a plant, and as a verb, to sprout means to grow. Sprouting mainly applies to height and to the young, whether you're talking about plants, people, or things. An older person who gains fifty pounds is growing but not sprouting.

Example Sentences

The phrase has appeared almost 500,000 times across social platforms since that month, according to the analytics firm Sprout Social, with more than 37 billion impressions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

On Instagram, Diaper Diplomacy’s engagement rate is 748% higher than similar accounts on the platform, and more than double the rate of similar TikTok accounts, according to data from Sprout Social, a social-media analytics company.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

Niamh Sprout wore a smattering of chunky silver rings, which complemented the long black nails she had dug into the parkway soil as Smart-McCabe did her plant demo.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2025

Curating a weekender that appeals to a wide range of tastes, ages, diversity and pockets has been the responsibility of a team led by Sage Gateshead's Creative Director, and former Prefab Sprout member, Wendy Smith.

From BBC • Jul. 22, 2023

As they neared the greenhouses they saw the rest of the class standing outside, waiting for Professor Sprout.

From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling

Related Words

• burgeon
• germinate
• grow