grow
14 ENTRIES FOUND:
Britannica Dictionary definition of GROW
1
[no object]
:
to become larger
:
to increase in size, amount, etc.
— often + in
-
The city is growing rapidly/dramatically.
-
The list of chores to do this weekend keeps growing.
-
The sport is growing in popularity. [=is becoming more popular]
-
The school has grown (considerably/greatly) in size.
-
His followers continue to grow in number. [=to become more numerous]
2
[no object]
:
to become better or improved in some way
:
to become more developed, mature, etc.
-
She grew intellectually and emotionally in her first year at college.
-
It's wonderful to see how she has grown as a person since going to college.
3
[no object]
:
to become larger and change from being a child to being an adult as time passes
:
to pass from childhood to adulthood
-
It can be hard to watch our children change as they grow.
-
He's still just a growing boy.
-
She's grown (by) at least an inch since the last time I saw her.
4
a
[no object]
of a plant
:
to exist and develop
-
These trees grow only in the jungle.
-
As the tree grew taller, the branches began to touch the house.
-
This plant does well in difficult growing conditions. [=conditions in which it is difficult for most plants to grow]
-
The flowers grow wild [=grow naturally without being planted or cared for by humans] along the highway.
b
[+ object]
:
to cause (a plant) to grow
:
to cultivate or raise (a plant)
-
She grows tomatoes in her garden.
-
The plant is grown for its colorful flowers.
5
of hair, fingernails, etc.
:
to become longer
—
see also grow out 1 (below)
[no object]
-
She's letting her hair grow a little.
-
His fingernails grow quickly.
[+ object]
-
She's growing her hair long.
-
He tried to grow a beard/mustache. [=to have a beard/mustache by letting the hair on his face grow]
6
a
always followed by an adjective,
[linking verb]
:
become
-
He suddenly grew pale.
-
He had grown tired of hearing about their problems.
-
She grew fat due to her lack of exercise.
-
He's worried about growing old.
-
These diseases are growing more common.
-
We have grown accustomed to his angry outbursts.
b
[no object]
:
to have or form an opinion, attitude, etc., after time passes
— followed by to + verb
-
She's grown to like her new job.
-
I grew to admire her very much.
-
I grew to feel that these problems were not important.
-
She grew to hate him for his selfishness.
7
[+ object]
:
to cause (something, such as a business) to develop or get bigger
-
These changes should allow us to grow the company while reducing waste.
-
He claims that his proposals will help grow the economy.
grow apart
[phrasal verb]
:
to become less friendly or emotionally close as time passes
:
to become distant from someone
-
My wife and I have grown apart over the years.
grow from
[phrasal verb]
grow from (something)
:
to come from or originate from (something)
-
The company grew from an idea he had in college.
grow into
[phrasal verb]
1
grow into (something)
:
to become (something) as time passes
-
She has grown into an accomplished and charming young woman.
-
His small company has grown into a huge international corporation.
2
:
to become large enough for (a certain size of clothing)
-
Ben will grow into Billy's shoes in a year or two.
grow on
[phrasal verb]
grow on (someone)
:
to become more appealing to (someone) as time passes
-
Try the dish again—it grows on you.
-
I didn't like him at first, but he's starting to grow on me.
grow on trees
informal
:
to exist in large amounts
:
to be easy to get
-
Good jobs don't grow on trees. [=good jobs are hard to get]
-
He acts as if money grows on trees.
grow out
[phrasal verb]
1
grow (something) out
or
grow out (something)
:
to allow (something) to get longer
—
see also grow 5 (above)
-
She's growing out her hair.
2
grow out of (something)
a
:
to develop or come from (a source)
-
The project grew out of a simple suggestion.
-
This new theory grew out of their earlier research.
b
:
to become too large for (a certain size of clothing)
—
see also outgrow
-
He quickly grew out of his clothes.
c
:
to stop doing or having (something) because you are older and more mature
-
She hoped to grow out of her bad habits.
-
He's wild now, but he'll grow out of it.
grow up
[phrasal verb]
1
a
:
to become an adult
— used to describe where you lived, what you did, etc., when you were a child
-
She wants to be a firefighter when she grows up.
-
I grew up in the city.
-
We grew up poor, but we always had food on the table.
-
He grew up playing music. [=he played music when he was a child]
b
:
to stop thinking and behaving in a childish way
—
see also grown-up
-
It's time for him to grow up and start accepting his responsibilities.
-
Oh, grow up!
2
:
to begin to exist and develop as time passes
-
A number of villages and cities grew up along the river.
-
A rivalry grew up between the villages.
-
corn/fruit growers
-
This plant is known as a fast grower.
— growing
adjective, always used before a noun-
There is growing acceptance of the new plan.
-
the growing popularity of this film
-
There's a growing sense that he may be right.
