outgrow
Americanverb (used with object)
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outgrows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
outgrew,
past
-
outgrown,
past participle
-
outgrowing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
outgrows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
outgrew,
past
-
outgrown,
past participle
-
outgrowing
present participle
verb
-
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
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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outgrowsimple
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outgrowssimple
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have outgrownperfect
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has outgrownperfect
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am outgrowingprogressive
-
are outgrowingprogressive
-
is outgrowingprogressive
-
have been outgrowingperfect progressive
-
has been outgrowingperfect progressive
Past
-
outgrewsimple
-
had outgrownperfect
-
was outgrowingprogressive
-
were outgrowingprogressive
-
had been outgrowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of outgrow
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
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:
You can easily outgrow a robo adviser as your financial life gets more complex.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
“Consumption can’t outgrow income indefinitely, especially when the savings rate is already at rock-bottom level.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
It probably continued to outgrow the country in the first three months of this year, the report said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
The bank is placed comfortably in terms of liquidity coverage ratio and loan-to-deposit ratio to outgrow India’s banking industry in the medium term, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
Maybe everyone sees this way at five and I didn’t outgrow it.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Her character arc implicitly concedes this when she outgrows some of her early ways in the third act.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
If the stalk outgrows the jar, move it to a larger one.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 10, 2023
Alicia Kennedy takes a look at how The Bear’s second season outgrows its main character, and improves because of it.
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2023
Like a hug from a loved one, no one outgrows the comfort of chicken parm.
From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2023
“Her stomping will be a lot more effective when she outgrows those slippers,” I say.
From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead
His sons, Dino and Mayce, eventually outgrew the game, but Tomlin’s interest increased.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
OpenAI represents something that Musk has rarely had to contend with: a success story that outgrew him.
From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2026
The song became so popular it outgrew the film to become a national obsession.
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026
“I feel like my body just kind of outgrew me,” he said, “and I was having a hard time keeping up.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025
It was this immortality, and the strength with which Henrietta’s cells grew, that made it possible for HeLa to take over so many other cultures —they simply outlived and outgrew any other cells they encountered.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Pollock has long since outgrown his current deal, signed in December 2024 before his England debut, Champions Cup knockout heroics and British and Irish Lions call-up.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Critics labeled him a hypocrite; Dyson said that the company had outgrown the Malmesbury campus, and maintained his belief that Asia was the future of manufacturing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
By the early 1930s, traffic had outgrown the old route.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
The contribution limit of $5,000 annually makes this accessible as birthday and holiday gifts rather than traditional presents that get outgrown or spent.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
He guesses he has likely outgrown it in the interim, unable to recall exactly what the last suit-worthy occasion was.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
The residence also holds decades of memories for Foreman’s family, who moved to the property after outgrowing their previous home in Kingwood, Texas.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
Alan Chikin Chow, behind the scripted YouTube high school drama series “Alan’s Universe,” moved his 13-person operation into a 10,000-square-foot Burbank facility in 2024 after outgrowing his Koreatown apartment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Aggressive expansions typically come with plenty of risk: an immediate strain on resources, profit instability, and possibly outgrowing the existing business model.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
Yet the population was outgrowing its code, and housing demand soared.
From Barron's ● May 31, 2026
The problem was that composers were outgrowing not just the old modes and the restrictions placed on them but also the complicated system of tuning that allowed instruments to play in different keys.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
