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:
Jaynes said Gaon is a private man who obtained a biology degree in college and allows the vegetation in his front yard to overgrow so he can observe butterflies and other insects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2025
"Farmers are forced to overgrow to meet strict supermarket contracts, only to see tons of perfectly good food rejected because it doesn't meet cosmetic standards."
From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2025
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 flowers of rhetoric and poetry have lost their freshness and charm; and a technical language has begun to supersede and overgrow them.
From Philebus by Benjamin Jowett
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
From the tangle of roses, sweet fern and bayberry that overgrew the fields the note of a thrush rose clear on the quiet air.
From Flood Tide by Sara Ware Bassett
Alas, it is shame that ever ye were made knight, to see such a lad to match such a knight, as the weed overgrew the corn.
From Le Mort d'Arthur: Volume 1 by Sir Thomas Malory
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
Their road, which took them to Vlammertinghe, led through level fields, lying waste and desolate with rank, overgrowing weeds.
From The Sky Pilot in No Man's Land by Ralph Connor
The winding and narrow nature of the road and the overgrown trees and bushes make it unsafe to drive fast.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 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
"It rained a lot this winter; the pastures were very overgrown," Rodriguez said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
Shag carpet covered original terra-cotta floors, high-gloss paint coated nearly every wooden surface and overgrown weeds crowded the yard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
It's hot, and the forest floor is overgrown.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
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