growth
Americannoun
-
growths
plural
-
the act or process, or a manner of growing; development; gradual increase.
- Synonyms:
- expansion, augmentation
-
size or stage of development.
It hasn't yet reached its full growth.
-
completed development.
-
development from a simpler to a more complex stage.
the growth of ritual forms.
-
development from another but related form or stage.
the growth of the nation state.
-
something that has grown or developed by or as if by a natural process.
a growth of stubborn weeds.
-
Pathology. an abnormal increase in a mass of tissue, as a tumor.
- Synonyms:
- excrescence
-
origin; source; production.
onions of English growth.
adjective
noun
-
the process or act of growing, esp in organisms following assimilation of food
-
an increase in size, number, significance, etc
-
something grown or growing
a new growth of hair
-
a stage of development
-
any abnormal tissue, such as a tumour
-
(modifier) of, relating to, causing or characterized by growth
a growth industry
growth hormone
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of growth
First recorded in 1550–60; see grow, -th 1; probably cognate with Old Norse grōthr
Explanation
The noun growth is the process of something becoming bigger. If you mentioned the growth of your family, you might mean that babies were born or people got married, increasing your family's size. Growth is an increase in physical size, like the growth of a sapling into a mature tree. There are other kinds of growth, like your sister's personal growth since she started to meditate every day. Growth can also mean something that has grown, like a growth of stubble on your dad's face or a cancerous growth that needs to be removed surgically. The Old English root word is growan, "to grow or flourish."
Vocabulary lists containing growth
Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Functions - High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Growth, Development and Reproduction of Organisms - Middle School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
The rise in Middle Eastern exports, lower Chinese imports and non-OPEC+ oil supply growth should see oversupplied conditions in crude oil markets, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Shares are rapidly becoming the way to play AI growth, safety, and the proliferation of open source large language models.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
A group of major German economic research institutes recently hiked forecasts for economic growth this year to 1.3%, almost doubling its prior forecast made in March, driven by strong exports and a robust manufacturing sector.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
"It is that the next phase of growth follows the contracts elsewhere."
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
The book fair accelerated the growth of an international trade in books, what the Jacobean poet Samuel Daniel called ‘the intertraffique of the mind.’
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Steroids that reduce inflammation and suppress malignant growths.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
These thread like growths, known as filaments, would keep extending until they created a short circuit and destroyed the pixel.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 4, 2026
The nurse said the doctor had successfully removed the growths and was sending them off for biopsies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026
It can appear as open sores, red patches, rashes, growths, or bumps.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2025
“His jaws are like a bed of spice, growths of aromatic plants; his lips are roses, dripping with flowing myrrh.”
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
