overgrow
Americanverb (used with object)
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to grow over; cover with a growth of something.
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to grow beyond, grow too large for, or outgrow.
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to outdo in growing; choke or supplant by a more exuberant growth.
verb (used without object)
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to grow to excess; grow too large.
When the vegetable overgrows, it tends to be woody.
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to become grown over, as with weeds.
An untended garden will quickly overgrow.
verb
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(tr) to grow over or across (an area, path, lawn, etc)
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(tr) to choke or supplant by a stronger growth
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(tr) to grow too large for
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(intr) to grow beyond normal size
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of overgrow
First recorded in 1300–50, overgrow is from the Middle English word overgrowen. See over-, grow
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:
We moved on to his backyard, where mi tío had trimmed hedges that the previous owner let overgrow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2023
Don’t let plants overgrow them, and make sure no dirt or debris is getting in.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 16, 2023
People who take high doses of antibiotics tend to lose many of their normal gut bacteria, allowing a naturally antibiotic-resistant species called Clostridium difficile to overgrow and cause severe gastric problems, especially chronic diarrhea.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The vines of a single zucchini or butternut squash can easily overgrow your entire raised bed.
From Salon ● May 22, 2022
With all its attractions and success, the new Kṛishṇaism did not everywhere overgrow the older stock upon which it had been engrafted.
From Hindu Gods And Heroes Studies in the History of the Religion of India by Lionel D. Barnett
A few days of stubble almost overgrew a soul patch under his lip, like weeds overtaking a garden.
From New York Times ● Jun. 1, 2016
Grass overgrew "South Penn" embankments, saplings pushed their way through its rock ballast and water seeped higher and higher over the rubble of the tunnels.
From Time Magazine Archive
It showed no variation but of tint: green, where rush and moss overgrew the marshes; black, where the dry soil bore only heath.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Already, too, weeds and briers overgrew the land which had been cleared for corn.
From This Country of Ours by H. E. (Henrietta Elizabeth) Marshall
"Follow me," and starting off we were soon crossing the bed of the lake, being compelled to advance cautiously owing to the slippery nature of the weeds and water-plants that overgrew the stones.
From The Great White Queen A Tale of Treasure and Treason by William Le Queux
Researchers speculate that people may have brought the rodent to California as a natural remedy to battle overgrowing vegetation or simply because they liked them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
We are witnessing a population of infant black holes overgrowing their nurseries and flourishing faster than expected in the distant, early universe.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 21, 2023
"To walk on the roads because the path isn't safe because of all the hemlock and vegetation overgrowing, they're being put in this really difficult and unsafe position," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2023
Both animals are being used to munch overgrowing vegetation and fertilize the soil to “rewild” the landscapes.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 7, 2023
The weeds are overgrowing my burial-place, and they deaden even thy sorrow, O my aged father!
From Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 22, November, 1878 of Popular Literature and Science by Various
"These audits must identify broken streetlights, overgrown public spaces, abandoned buildings, unsafe transport routes and facilities, poorly secured parks, and other conditions that place women at risk."
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
What had started near a park, where overgrown grass and scrubland enabled the fire spread, had quickly travelled through 35 gardens.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
The housework piled up, the yard is overgrown, her expenses have risen and she can’t keep up with her health now that he is gone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
The dogs’ sleeping quarters are modeled after the park’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride, with its fort-like corridors made of sun-dried brick, the walls strewn with overgrown jungle vines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Directly ahead lay a vast overgrown area which was neither pasture nor meadow.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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