growth

[grohth]

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noun

the act or process, or a manner of growing; development; gradual increase.

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.

origin; source; production: onions of English growth.

adjective

of or denoting a business, industry, or equity security that grows or is expected to grow in value over a long period of time: a growth industry; a growth stock.

Origin of growth

1550–60; see grow, -th¹; probably cognate with Old Norse grōthr

Related formsan·ti·growth, adjectivepre·growth, nounre·growth, nounsu·per·growth, noun, adjective

Synonyms for growth

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR growth ON THESAURUS.COM

1. augmentation, expansion. 6. result, outgrowth. 7. excrescence.

Antonyms for growth

1. decline, decrease.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for growth

prosperity, success, advance, hike, rise, advancement, expansion, improvement, increase, production, gain, surge, crop, buildup, flowering, aggrandizement, cultivation, boost, vegetation, proliferation

Examples from the Web for growth

Contemporary Examples of growth

Albuquerque Economic Development, a private non-profit, estimates the five year growth rate at almost double the U.S. in general.
After The Fall: Introducing The Anti-Villain
Rich Goldstein
December 21, 2014
Set among the vacant houses of suburban New Mexico, the film offers a bleak perspective on the possibility of growth and renewal.
After The Fall: Introducing The Anti-Villain
Rich Goldstein
December 21, 2014
They are personally invested in my growth not only as a dominatrix but as a kinkster and a person.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau
Ian Frisch
December 20, 2014
Equally critical has been the growth among younger educated workers in the region.
The Rustbelt Roars Back From the Dead
Joel Kotkin, Richey Piiparinen
December 7, 2014
In the first six months of this year, we saw a 48 percent growth in sales of imported and craft beers.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama
Jeff Campagna
November 30, 2014

Historical Examples of growth

That it is one tree seems to be evident from the growth of the bark only on the outside.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
That we pass out of this phase of being as we came into it, for Growth.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
It must be a stage in its growth or it would not come into it.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
In growth all is adjusted to capacity; it is not meant to shock, force, or frighten.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
To the seeing eye decay is as fair as growth, and death as life.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for growth

growth

noun

the process or act of growing, esp in organisms following assimilation of food

an increase in size, number, significance, etc

something grown or growinga new growth of hair

a stage of development

any abnormal tissue, such as a tumour

(modifier) of, relating to, causing or characterized by growtha growth industry; growth hormone

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for growth

1550s, from grow + -th (2), on model of health, stealth, etc. Cf. Old Norse groði, from groa "to grow." In this sense, Old English used grownes.

growth in Medicine

growth

[grōth]

n.

The process of growing.

Full development; maturity.

An increase, as in size, number, value, or strength.

Something that grows or has grown.

An abnormal mass of tissue, such as a tumor, growing in or on an organism.

growth in Science

growth

[grōth]

An increase in the size of an organism or part of an organism, usually as a result of an increase in the number of cells. Growth of an organism may stop at maturity, as in the case of humans and other mammals, or it may continue throughout life, as in many plants. In humans, certain body parts, like hair and nails, continue to grow throughout life.