growth

American  

[grohth] / groʊθ /

noun

• growths
  plural

1. 

   the act or process, or a manner of growing; development; gradual increase.

   Synonyms:

   expansion, augmentation

   Antonyms:

   decrease, decline

2. size or stage of development.

   It hasn't yet reached its full growth.

3. completed development.

4. development from a simpler to a more complex stage.

   the growth of ritual forms.

5. development from another but related form or stage.

   the growth of the nation state.

6. something that has grown or developed by or as if by a natural process.

   a growth of stubborn weeds.

   Synonyms:

   outgrowth, result

7. Pathology. an abnormal increase in a mass of tissue, as a tumor.

   Synonyms:

   excrescence

8. origin; source; production.

   onions of English growth.

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adjective

1. of or denoting a business, industry, or equity security that grows or is expected to grow in value over a long period of time.

   a growth industry; a growth stock.

growth British  

/ ɡrəʊθ /

noun

1. the process or act of growing, esp in organisms following assimilation of food

2. an increase in size, number, significance, etc

3. something grown or growing

   a new growth of hair

4. a stage of development

5. any abnormal tissue, such as a tumour

6. (modifier) of, relating to, causing or characterized by growth

   a growth industry

   growth hormone

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growth Scientific  

/ grōth /

1. An increase in the size of an organism or part of an organism, usually as a result of an increase in the number of cells. Growth of an organism may stop at maturity, as in the case of humans and other mammals, or it may continue throughout life, as in many plants. In humans, certain body parts, like hair and nails, continue to grow throughout life.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pregrowth
  noun
• regrowth
  noun
• supergrowth
  noun
• antigrowth
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• growths
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of growth

First recorded in 1550–60; see grow, -th ¹; probably cognate with Old Norse grōthr

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Explanation

The noun growth is the process of something becoming bigger. If you mentioned the growth of your family, you might mean that babies were born or people got married, increasing your family's size. Growth is an increase in physical size, like the growth of a sapling into a mature tree. There are other kinds of growth, like your sister's personal growth since she started to meditate every day. Growth can also mean something that has grown, like a growth of stubble on your dad's face or a cancerous growth that needs to be removed surgically. The Old English root word is growan, "to grow or flourish."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

growth growths

The growth outlook has weakened, with the economy now forecast to expand by 1.2 percent in 2026, down from the 1.6 percent projected in February.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

Weak domestic demand and little evidence of labor-market tightness make it unlikely that the shocks will spill over into inflation expectations and wage growth, he adds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Analysts weren’t expecting AT&T to top the 400,000 mark with its fiber-subscriber growth, but the company did so with ease, adding 442,000 net new customers.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

As well as the growth in corporate bonds, other countries' debt is looking more attractive -- for instance, yields are rising in Japan as inflation has returned following decades of deflation.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

Zero’s absence would stunt the growth of mathematics, stifle innovation in science, and, incidentally, make a mess of the calendar.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Many colorectal cancers begin as polyps, which are growths that develop on the inner lining of the bowel.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 13, 2026

Mottled green daubs represent grass; lounging amoebic growths stand in for rocks, perhaps mountain peaks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

At the time, she said she learned she had non-cancerous growths on her vocal cords.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2026

It can appear as open sores, red patches, rashes, growths, or bumps.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2025

Here, huge growths of thorny furze rose up.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

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Related Words

• advance
• advancement
• expansion
• gain
• hike
• improvement
• increase
• production
• prosperity
• rise
• success
• surge

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