grow

grow [ grou ] (past tense grew [ gru ] ; past participle grown [ groun ] ) verb ***

▸ 1 about children/animals

▸ 2 about plants/cells etc.

▸ 3 about hair/nails

▸ 4 increase in size

▸ 5 increase in success

▸ 6 develop character

▸ 7 start to have quality

▸ 8 about feelings/qualities

▸ 9 get more of a quality

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) intransitive if children or animals grow, they become taller or larger:

Hasn't Michael grown? said my aunt.

grow several inches/a lot/very tall etc.: She must have grown at least four inches since the last time I saw her.

fully grown (=having grown to full size): a fully grown lion

grow to a size/height/length: In the right conditions, shellfish can grow to considerable sizes.

Some of these creatures grew to a length of over twelve feet.

2. ) intransitive if plants or trees grow, they develop and get larger or taller:

The redwood tree can grow to over 100 feet tall.

plants that grow naturally in swampy land

grow to maturity: We left some of the better trees and let them grow to maturity.

a ) intransitive if trees or plants grow somewhere, they exist there:

The trees grew almost to the water's edge.

b ) transitive if you grow plants, you take care of them and help them to develop: CULTIVATE, PRODUCE:

They grew all their own vegetables.

Various crops are grown here.

the country's largest rice-growing area

grow something from something: I've grown these geraniums from seed.

c ) intransitive or transitive if bacteria, cells, or CRYSTALS grow, they develop. You can also say that scientists grow these things.

3. ) intransitive if your hair or nails grow, they become longer

a ) transitive if you grow your hair or nails, you let them become longer

4. ) intransitive to increase in size:

The world's population was growing faster than predicted.

By 1997, the town had grown big enough to need a high school of its own.

The problem continues to grow.

grow longer: The waiting list for public housing is growing longer every year.

grow in size/number/amount: The database will grow in size as necessary.

grow at a fast/record etc. rate: By now the road network was growing at an alarming rate.

grow to: a ripple of laughter that grew to a delighted roar

5. ) intransitive if a business or the economy grows, more money is used in it and it becomes more successful:

In the early part of the century, the industry grew steadily.

grow by 10%/20% etc.: The economy has grown by 7% over the past year.

a ) transitive to make a business or the economy grow:

He has spent the past seven years growing his business.

─ opposite SHRINK

6. ) intransitive if you grow, the emotional or spiritual part of your character becomes stronger:

People need to be able to grow and develop in relationships.

7. ) linking verb LITERARY used for saying that someone or something gradually starts to have a feeling or quality:

The nights were growing darker.

Nina was growing bored.

The king grew increasingly suspicious of his officials.

grow used to/accustomed to: Branson had grown accustomed to the old man's eccentricities.

8. ) intransitive if feelings or qualities grow, they become stronger:

She could feel the anger growing inside her.

Fears were growing for his safety.

9. ) intransitive grow in if someone or something grows in a quality, they begin to have more of that quality:

She was growing in confidence every day.

The area has gradually grown in importance.

grow in popularity: In recent years cycling has grown in popularity.

something does not grow on trees MAINLY SPOKEN

used for telling someone that they should not waste or ignore something, because it is valuable and not easy to get

grow to love/hate/understand etc. something

if you grow to feel or understand something, you gradually start to feel or understand it:

They had grown to love the place and the people.

He had grown to realize that she would never change.

,grow a`part phrasal verb intransitive

if people grow apart, their relationship gradually changes and they become less close

,grow a`way from phrasal verb transitive

grow away from someone if you grow away from someone, your relationship gradually changes and you become less close to them

`grow into phrasal verb transitive

1. ) grow into something/someone to develop and become a particular thing or person:

This seedling should grow into a tall attractive plant.

She had grown into a beautiful woman.

2. ) grow into something if children grow into clothes, they become the right size to wear clothes that were too big

3. ) grow into something if you grow into a situation or activity, you gradually start knowing what to do because you have more experience:

She needs time to grow into her new job.

`grow on phrasal verb transitive

grow on someone if something or someone grows on you, you start to like them more:

The new house slowly began to grow on her.

,grow `out phrasal verb intransitive

if colored, cut, or PERMED hair grows out, it grows so that it no longer has the color or style that it had

,grow `out of phrasal verb transitive grow out of something

1. ) if children grow out of clothes, they grow bigger and the clothes become too small for them

2. ) if someone grows out of a habit, they stop doing it, because they are older or wiser:

They thought I would grow out of my fear of spiders.

3. ) to develop from something, or exist as a result of it:

Other issues grew out of the policy review.

The poems grew out of her disturbed imagination.

,grow `up phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) to change from being a baby or young child to being an older child or adult:

She's really starting to grow up now.

a ) used for talking about the things that happened while you were a child:

I grew up in Indiana.

He never saw his father while he was growing up.

2. ) to stop behaving like a child, and become wiser:

It wasn't until my marriage ended that I really started to grow up.

a ) SPOKEN used for telling someone to stop being silly and behaving like a child

3. ) to start existing or being seen:

the many small religious sects that grew up and flourished in the area