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.
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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
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to form and increase in size by a process of inorganic accretion, as by crystallization.
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to arise or issue as a natural development from an original happening, circumstance, or source.
Our friendship grew from common interests.
- Synonyms:
- originate
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to increase gradually in size, amount, etc.; become greater or larger; expand.
His influence has grown.
- Synonyms:
- wax
- Antonyms:
- wane
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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
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grow on / upon
-
to increase in influence or effect.
An uneasy feeling grew upon him as he went through the old house.
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to become gradually more liked or accepted by.
a village by the sea that grows on one.
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-
grow out of
-
to become too large or mature for; outgrow.
He has grown out of all his clothes.
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to originate in; develop from.
The plan grew out of a casual conversation.
-
-
grow up
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to be or become fully grown; attain mental or physical maturity.
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to come into existence; arise.
New cities grew up in the desert.
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-
grow into
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to become large enough for.
He'll grow into his brother's suits before long.
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to become mature or experienced enough for.
She grew into the job, although she wasn't qualified for it at first.
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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
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(intr) to change in length or amount in a specified direction
some plants grow downwards
profits over the years grew downwards
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(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
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to come into existence
a close friendship grew up between them
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to be joined gradually by or as by growth
the branches on the tree grew together
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(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
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to become covered with a growth
the path grew with weeds
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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:
“It felt good to know that there’s still a battle to be going on and that I can recover from this and grow stronger from this,” Gilbert told Rolling Stone in April.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
The bank expects 2H revenue and net profit to grow 2.3% and 5.0%, respectively, year-on-year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Corporate earnings can continue to grow even if not at the rapid pace they have improved this year, a leading Wall Street firm says.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
Tropical cyclones generally need to become vertically organized before they can grow much stronger.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
I would change lots of things, for good, like make myself grow, or turn fuzz into food.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
In her IMDb autobiography, she recalled early memories of subjecting relatives to renditions of “When I Grow Too Old to Dream,” from the 1935 film “The Night Is Young.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Community gardens are another option - you can find ones local to you on the Good to Grow map, external, or the RHS's website, external.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 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
Her wish blossomed as she sang the spell and made her request: Grow deep roots and protect us all from evil as we sleep.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Everyone grows older at the same rate chronologically, but biological aging does not necessarily follow the same schedule.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 16, 2026
The embryo grows until it causes the organ to rupture, triggering catastrophic bleeding.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
However, as these effects fade and aggregate demand grows moderately, underlying inflation will resume its decline, the bank added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
He expects agent-to-agent activity to increase as consumer adoption of AI grows.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
“There have been whispers for weeks, a murmur that grows louder with each passing day. Surely you have felt it?”
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Streaming grew the industry while fueling years of complaints about artist pay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
In 2024, as Polymarket’s profile grew, two federal agencies investigated whether the company was violating that settlement by allowing U.S. traders on its platform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
But then Webb, who is from Northern California, grew up with the rivalry and, as the longest-tenured Giant, pitched against the Dodgers in games that mattered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
Both Hanna and Ibrahim say they are forever grateful to the friends and family who offered them care and supported them as they grew up without their parents, despite the risks.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Her agitation grew as she listed the indignities, but then she inhaled and pressed her lips together as if trying to compose herself.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
"Using mini-intestinal organoids grown in a dish and by working alongside a diverse team of researchers and clinicians, we uncovered the inflammatory signals responsible for this cell death response."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
What is more, companies at that point had grown accustomed to borrowing for nearly nothing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
"That's why we've grown to be the second-largest party in Wales so quickly from a standing start. We never claim that we're perfect. You know, we're real people."
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
A non-profit organization called Model Evaluation and Threat Research has grown in prominence recently after being mentioned in Amodei’s essay as a potential third-party evaluator.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
And in a way, although Allun was grown up now.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
At CarMax, Barr’s strategy revolves around improving CarMax’s digital capabilities, growing its in-house financing arm and reducing its costs to recondition used cars for sale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
And, he emphasizes, a key reason for buying the China holdings is that the country’s stocks remain out of favor “and you get very obviously good companies growing nicely in incredibly attractive valuations.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
The discovery may also explain a long-standing problem in neuroscience: why researchers have had so much difficulty growing certain brain cells in the laboratory.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
The move comes amid growing alarm over coastal damage from El Niño.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Whenever I filled the bobbin, he quickly removed the skein and added it to the growing pile of gold.
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.
