grow

 
Pronunciation: /grəʊ/

verb (past grew /gruː/; past participle grown /grəʊn/)

[no object]
  • 1(of a living thing) undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically: he would watch Nick grow to manhood (as adjective growing) the needs of the growing child (as adjective grown) grown men don’t act so stupidly
  • (of a plant) germinate and develop: morels grow in a variety of places
  • [with object] cause (plants) to germinate and develop: more land was needed to grow crops for export
  • [with object] allow or cause (a part of the body) to grow or develop: if a newt’s leg is amputated, it will grow a new one [with object and complement]: she grew her hair long
  • 2come into existence and develop: the play grew out of a drama school project a school of painting grew up in Cuzco
  • [with infinitive] (of a person) come to feel or think something over time: supposing we had grown to know and love nuclear power
  • 3become larger or greater over a period of time; increase: turnover grew to more than $100,000 within three years (as adjective growing) the growing concern over ozone levels
  • [with object] develop or expand (something, especially a business): entrepreneurs who are struggling to grow their businesses
  • [with complement] become gradually or increasingly: sharing our experiences we grew braver

Phrases

grow on trees

[usually with negative] informal be plentiful or easily obtained: jobs don’t grow on trees

Phrasal Verbs

grow apart

(of two or more people) become gradually estranged: he and his wife had been growing apart for at least a year

grow away from

become gradually separated from (one’s family, friends, or background): emotionally his family had grown away from him

grow into

  • 1become as a result of natural development or gradual increase: Rome began as a city and grew into a huge empire
  • 2become large enough to wear (a garment) comfortably.

grow on

become gradually more appealing to (someone): the tune grows on you

grow out

disappear because of normal growth: Colette’s old perm had almost grown out

grow out of

become too large to wear (a garment): blazers that they grew out of
become too mature to retain (a childish habit): most children grow out of tantrums by the time they’re three

grow up

become an adult: a young girl who grew up in Texas
[often in imperative] begin to behave or think sensibly: grow up, sister, and come into the real world

Derivatives

growable

adjective

Origin:

Old English grōwan (originally referring chiefly to plants), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch groeien, also to grass and green

Although grow is typically used intransitively, as in he would watch Nick grow to manhood, its use as a transitive verb has long been standard in contexts which refer to growing plants and one’s hair ( more land was needed to grow crops; she grew her hair long). Recently, however, grow has extended its transitive sense and become popular in business jargon: entrepreneurs who are struggling to grow their businesses.