grow
verb (used without object)
to increase by natural development, as any living organism or part by assimilation of nutriment; increase in size or substance.
grow
1 American
[groh]
/ groʊ /
verb (used without object)
-
grows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
grew,
past
-
grown,
past participle
-
growing
present participle
-
to increase by natural development, as any living organism or part by assimilation of nutriment; increase in size or substance.
- Antonyms:
- decrease
-
to form and increase in size by a process of inorganic accretion, as by crystallization.
-
to arise or issue as a natural development from an original happening, circumstance, or source.
Our friendship grew from common interests.
- Synonyms:
- originate
-
to increase gradually in size, amount, etc.; become greater or larger; expand.
His influence has grown.
- Synonyms:
- wax
- Antonyms:
- wane
-
to become gradually attached or united by or as if by growth.
The branches of the trees grew together, forming a natural arch.
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to come to be by degrees; become.
to grow old.
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Nautical. to lie or extend in a certain direction, as an anchor cable.
verb (used with object)
-
grows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
grew,
past
-
grown,
past participle
-
growing
present participle
verb phrase
-
grow on / upon
-
to increase in influence or effect.
An uneasy feeling grew upon him as he went through the old house.
-
to become gradually more liked or accepted by.
a village by the sea that grows on one.
-
-
grow out of
-
to become too large or mature for; outgrow.
He has grown out of all his clothes.
-
to originate in; develop from.
The plan grew out of a casual conversation.
-
-
grow up
-
to be or become fully grown; attain mental or physical maturity.
-
to come into existence; arise.
New cities grew up in the desert.
-
-
grow into
-
to become large enough for.
He'll grow into his brother's suits before long.
-
to become mature or experienced enough for.
She grew into the job, although she wasn't qualified for it at first.
-
idioms
Grow
2
American
[groh]
/ groʊ /
noun
grow
British
/ ɡrəʊ /
verb
-
(of an organism or part of an organism) to increase in size or develop (hair, leaves, or other structures)
-
(intr; usually foll by out of or from) to originate, as from an initial cause or source
the federation grew out of the Empire
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(intr) to increase in size, number, degree, etc
the population is growing rapidly
-
(intr) to change in length or amount in a specified direction
some plants grow downwards
profits over the years grew downwards
-
(copula; may take an infinitive) (esp of emotions, physical states, etc) to develop or come into existence or being gradually
to grow cold
to grow morose
he grew to like her
-
to come into existence
a close friendship grew up between them
-
to be joined gradually by or as by growth
the branches on the tree grew together
-
(intr; foll by away, together, etc) to develop a specified state of friendship
the lovers grew together gradually
many friends grow apart over the years
-
to become covered with a growth
the path grew with weeds
-
to produce (plants) by controlling or encouraging their growth, esp for home consumption or on a commercial basis
grow
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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growsimple
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growssimple
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have grownperfect
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has grownperfect
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am growingprogressive
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are growingprogressive
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is growingprogressive
-
have been growingperfect progressive
-
has been growingperfect progressive
Past
-
grewsimple
-
had grownperfect
-
was growingprogressive
-
were growingprogressive
-
had been growingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of grow
First recorded before 900; Middle English growen, Old English grōwan; cognate with Dutch groeien, Old High German grouwan, Old Norse grōa
Explanation
To grow is to become larger, stronger, or more mature. A tiny seed grows into a leafy plant or a giant tree; babies grow and become adults and as they do, their knowledge of the world grows too! The verb grow describes something becoming greater than it once was. Living things start small and grow into adults, like kittens growing into cats and cubs growing into bears. But growing isn't limited to physical changes: Someone's knowledge can grow over time, and people can grow emotionally, becoming more positive, confident, and caring. When anything, living or not, becomes more, it grows — like the intensity of sunlight growing after dawn or a small business growing into a huge global success.
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.
See Examples For:
“These kittens might be — once they grow up and leave mom at roughly around 1½ — one of the first lions to actually use the wildlife crossing,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
El Niño - the naturally-occurring climate phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean - is continuing to grow and by some measures is already the strongest on record.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The gap in yields comes as this year’s deluge of corporate debt from the “hyperscalers” in the artificial-intelligence race is expected to grow further next year.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
IHH’s core net profit is expected to grow 18% annually over 2025-2028, faster than its 11% annual growth over 2016-2025, she reckons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Each month the occupation seemed to grow harsher, restrictions more numerous.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Campaigners have called on City Hall to introduce a London-wide "Right to Grow" framework to help communities turn unused public land into food gardens.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
“In the 14th century A.D., a Moroccan explorer named Ibn Battuta documented that a buttery variation of khichuri was eaten daily in South Asia,” wrote Rachael Grow for Mashed.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
In 1858, Rep. Galusha Grow of Pennsylvania knocked down Brooks’s friend Laurence Keitt of South Carolina, prompting a melee that drew in some 30 members of the House.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
Dylan Kendall, 56, runs Grow Hollywood, a startup economic development corporation.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
“Would you listen to yourself? Grow up, for God’s sake.”
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
But as ube mania grows globally, clouds loom at home.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Meanwhile, the chorus of people who claim to have never heard the song grows louder every single day.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Mitchell Yerxa and his family run a 3,500-acre farm in California’s Sacramento Valley that grows 16 crops, including tomatoes, walnuts and rice.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
If nothing else, the miniseries reminds us that adaptation is a difficult job that grows harder the more complex and celebrated the original text, and the more necessary it is to honor it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
But right before a volcano erupts, the ground around it sometimes grows dramatically.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Tinubu has said the reforms averted an even greater crisis as the subsidy grew fiscally unsustainable.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Related: ‘He grew up wealthy’: My husband inherited $3 million.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
The show grew out of the animated “Vampirina” TV series, which was geared toward younger kids.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
People sometimes joke online about whether you grew up in an “appetizers and drinks” family or an “entrées and water” family.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
Countess Trifaldi explained that she and the ladies who served in the palace had been punished too: they all grew beards overnight.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Their coven has also grown in size over time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Deborah Learoyd, Freesuns' CEO and managing director, estimates that the company's sales have grown 20–30% since it was established in 2019.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Prices of housing, daycare and preschool, car maintenance and pet services have all grown more over the past six years than average hourly wages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The resulting TCIP3 compound killed lymphoma cells grown in the laboratory at very low concentrations.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Something entirely different could have happened, something even worse. Like maybe he would have grown squirrel teeth.”
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
For nearly two decades, more women than men worldwide have reported experiencing daily anger, and the gap has been growing, external.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Anthropic on Thursday moved to bar users from treating its Claude AI system with needless cruelty, amid a growing philosophical debate over whether artificial intelligence can be conscious.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Looking forward, investors should remain focused on AI adoption, customer demand and how revenue is growing as AI models improve, Schlossman said in emailed comments.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Some land in its Monterey estate is rented out to local farmers growing asparagus, corn and other produce, Wente said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The apples glowed in the darkness, like sparkling jewels growing on the branches.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
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.
