growth

American  

[grohth] / groʊθ /

noun

• growths
  plural

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

   Synonyms:

   expansion, augmentation

   Antonyms:

   decrease, decline

2. size or stage of development.

   It hasn't yet reached its full growth.

3. completed development.

4. development from a simpler to a more complex stage.

   the growth of ritual forms.

5. development from another but related form or stage.

   the growth of the nation state.

6. something that has grown or developed by or as if by a natural process.

   a growth of stubborn weeds.

   Synonyms:

   outgrowth, result

7. Pathology. an abnormal increase in a mass of tissue, as a tumor.

   Synonyms:

   excrescence

8. origin; source; production.

   onions of English growth.

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adjective

1. 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.

growth British  

/ ɡrəʊθ /

noun

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

2. an increase in size, number, significance, etc

3. something grown or growing

   a new growth of hair

4. a stage of development

5. any abnormal tissue, such as a tumour

6. (modifier) of, relating to, causing or characterized by growth

   a growth industry

   growth hormone

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growth Scientific  

/ grōth /

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pregrowth
  noun
• regrowth
  noun
• supergrowth
  noun
• antigrowth
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• growths
  plural

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

growth growths

Russell says, even with projected population growth, if everyone in England knocked a minute off their shower time, for example, it would save nearly one billion litres of water a day by 2050.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

He also said that the potential for substantially higher growth was on the rise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Nvidia delivered a “shockingly bullish” outlook for its next fiscal year, in the words of one analyst — but the sheer level of expected growth has some investors wondering what’s behind such upbeat projections.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

With productivity growth still weak, an upside surprise in economic activity could reinforce the RBA’s concerns that demand remains too strong.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Zero’s absence would stunt the growth of mathematics, stifle innovation in science, and, incidentally, make a mess of the calendar.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Many colorectal cancers begin as polyps, which are growths that develop on the inner lining of the bowel.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 13, 2026

Mottled green daubs represent grass; lounging amoebic growths stand in for rocks, perhaps mountain peaks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

But a study looking at data from Queensland forests found that extreme temperatures have caused more tree deaths than growths.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2025

It can appear as open sores, red patches, rashes, growths, or bumps.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2025

As they thrust forward they felt things brush against their heads, or against their hands, long tentacles, or hanging growths perhaps: they could not tell what they were.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

Related Words

• advance
• advancement
• expansion
• gain
• hike
• improvement
• increase
• production
• prosperity
• rise
• success
• surge