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ingrowing

American  
[in-groh-ing] / ˈɪnˌgroʊ ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. growing into the flesh.

    an ingrowing nail.

  2. growing within or inward.


ingrowing British  
/ ˈɪnˌɡrəʊɪŋ /

adjective

  1. (esp of a toenail) growing abnormally into the flesh

  2. growing within or into

"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

Etymology

Origin of ingrowing

First recorded in 1865–70; in- 1 + growing


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:

Patients are being warned not to clog up A&E with everyday niggles as NHS figures show thousands turned to hospitals for minor ailments such as hiccups and ingrowing toenails last winter.

From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025

“Mrs Rhoades’s ingrowing toenail has turned the corner,” says Gilbert over supper.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 5, 2019

Why perform operations if the patient is suffering less from a stomach ulcer than from an ingrowing mother-in-law?

From Time Magazine Archive

His sharply domed cranium, monkey-fur suit, and ingrowing personality, seem all too slight an excuse for the sizable cheques which he has drawn for many years from the Barnum & Bailey and Ringling Brothers circus.

From Time Magazine Archive

The regular general, seeing that the battle was lost, excused himself and retired to his tent, owing to an ingrowing nail which had annoyed him all day.

From Comic History of the United States by F. Opper

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