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

Etymology

Origin of growth

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

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

It sees growth accelerating to 2.16 million barrels a day next year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

The explosive growth of the avocado industry has brought enormous wealth to this stretch of western Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

"Uncertainty in the planning system is a drag on economic growth, investment and infrastructure delivery. In the City, where schemes are complex, constrained and require significant upfront investment, that doubt is especially damaging."

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

Procedures associated with restoring volume or tightening skin also showed strong growth.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026

“In the early stages of growth, before the appearance of the sporangia, the interrupted fern is easily confused with the cinnamon fern. Luckily, there are several ways the careful observer might tell them apart....”

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

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

Doctors opened her abdomen from her breast bone down, looking for more growths.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026

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

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2025

Slowly the waters sank among the rocks, revealing pink tables of granite, strange growths of coral, polyp, and weed.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

Related Words

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