outgrow

[ out-groh ]

/ ˌaʊtˈgroʊ /

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verb (used with object), out·grew, out·grown, out·grow·ing.

to grow too large for: to outgrow one's clothes.

to leave behind or lose in the changes incident to development or the passage of time: She outgrew her fear of the dark.

to surpass in growing: watching one child outgrow another.

verb (used without object), out·grew, out·grown, out·grow·ing.

Archaic. to grow out; burst forth; protrude.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of outgrow

First recorded in 1585–95; out- + grow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use outgrow in a sentence

I happened to see a tutorial on mask-making and the task looked so simple, I thought surely I could turn my children’s outgrown shirts into face masks featuring sharks, dinosaurs and superheroes.
Some objects will remind us of the pandemic long after it’s over|Theresa Vargas|February 17, 2021|Washington Post
Players regularly outgrow more limited roles on their original teams, particularly since the WNBA has so few roster spots to go around.
The WNBA Teams To Watch Next Season|Howard Megdal|February 17, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
I had invested in a few pieces of more expensive maternity wear at the time, and I outgrew them when I got to the third trimester.
The future of maternity workwear is all in the details|Rachel King|January 31, 2021|Fortune
I used to think this was done to keep crape myrtles from outgrowing their allotted spaces, but I suspect it has become a more invidious act, something that is now so common that folks are led to believe it’s entirely correct and, indeed, needed.
It’s tree-pruning season. Here’s how to do it without resorting to ‘crape murder.’|Adrian Higgins|January 27, 2021|Washington Post

When he outgrew his toddler car seat, he still needed a seat with a harness, as he is unable to sit in place with just a lap belt.
The Cost of Raising a Special Needs Son|Elizabeth Picciuto|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1866 the Conservatoire outgrew its quarters in Rubinsteins house, and it became necessary to locate it in a larger building.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
There was something of the ballerina in her temperament, also, which she never entirely outgrew.
Memoirs of an American Prima Donna|Clara Louise Kellogg
And because his success was slow, his ambition never outgrew either his judgment or his powers.
A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln|John G. Nicolay
All nations may be said to have experienced such a paternal government, but most nations outgrew it.
The Soul of the Far East|Percival Lowell
Each parenthesis126 outgrew its proper limits, till he forgot what should have been the main story.
Other Main-Travelled Roads|Hamlin Garland

British Dictionary definitions for outgrow

outgrow

/ (ˌaʊtˈɡrəʊ) /

verb -grows, -growing, -grew or -grown (tr)

to grow too large for (clothes, shoes, etc)

to lose (a habit, idea, reputation, etc) in the course of development or time

to grow larger or faster than

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