outgrow

American  

[out-groh] / ˌaʊtˈgroʊ /

verb (used with object)

outgrew, outgrown, outgrowing

1. to grow too large for.

   to outgrow one's clothes.

2. to leave behind or lose in the changes incident to development or the passage of time.

   She outgrew her fear of the dark.

3. to surpass in growing.

   watching one child outgrow another.

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verb (used without object)

outgrew, outgrown, outgrowing

1. Archaic. to grow out; burst forth; protrude.

outgrow British  

/ ˌaʊtˈɡrəʊ /

verb

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

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

3. to grow larger or faster than

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Etymology

Origin of outgrow

First recorded in 1585–95; out- + grow

Explanation

To outgrow something is to become too big to fit in it, or to grow too mature for it. Most college students have outgrown their affection for stuffed animals. If they haven't, they might have a hard time making friends in the dorm. As you grow older and bigger, you outgrow all kinds of things: clothing, your childhood bed, your ice skates. You'll also outgrow many things in the sense of being too old for them to be appropriate or as appealing as they were when you were younger. Just about everyone outgrows their favorite picture books and cartoons eventually. The earliest meaning of outgrow was "surpass in growth" or "grow faster than."

Example Sentences

This competition pushed early crops to develop traits that helped them outgrow and outcompete neighboring plants, offering new insight into how crops evolve and how they might be improved in the future.

From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2026

Curtis wrote in a note that while those concerns will probably linger, Broadcom “made a strong case for their AI revenue to outgrow the market and see continued growth” through 2028.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

The next step is to outgrow the novelty and become medal contenders, something Stokes says Jamaica can do by the 2034 Games in Salt Lake City.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

Public builders’ orders will outgrow the broader market’s pickup in new sales, the analyst wrote.

From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026

He’d come to outgrow this with the passing of time, and then he passed his evenings reading; sleep had seized him like a dark claw while other boys drank their hearts out.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson