grow
grow — verb
1. to become larger in size, amount, or strength over a period of time — used of li
to become larger in size, amount, or strength over a period of time — used of living things such as plants or animals, or of things like populations, economies, or feelings that change gradually.
The population of Adina's hometown grew by nearly two thousand people last year.
grew + by + amount
Sora measured the bamboo shoots each morning to watch them grow taller.
grow + adjective complement (taller)
Elena's collection of jazz records has grown to over five hundred albums.
has grown + to + amount
The number of visitors to the national park grows steadily each summer.
grows + adverb (steadily)
Christopher's interest in photography grew after he got his first camera.
- grow rapidly
- grow steadily
- grow quickly
- grow slowly
- grow in size/popularity/strength
- grow by [percentage/number]
- grow from [X] to [Y]
- population grows
- economy grows
- interest grows
- concern grows
- awareness grows
Grammar Patterns
grow + adverb (rapidly/steadily)
grow + by + amount
grow + from + number + to + number
noun + grow + complement (taller/stronger)
Usage Note
With living things this sense is usually intransitive. The transitive form (e.g. 'grow the economy') is more common in business and abstract contexts and overlaps with sense 5 (BUSINESS).
Common Mistakes
2. to increase in length, or to allow your hair, beard, or nails to lengthen withou
to increase in length, or to allow your hair, beard, or nails to lengthen without trimming — applies to what grows from a person's scalp, face, or nail beds.
Quinn decided to grow his beard during the long winter months.
transitive: grow + beard
Tariro's fingernails grow so fast that she cuts them every Sunday.
intransitive: nails + grow + adverb
Apinya is growing her hair long for the wedding next summer.
grow + noun + adjective complement
Selim's hair grows in tight curls that frame his face.
- grow a beard
- grow a moustache
- grow your hair
- grow your nails
- hair grows fast/quickly/slowly
- nails grow long/strong
- let your hair grow
- start growing a beard
Grammar Patterns
grow + noun (beard/hair/nails)
noun (hair/nails) + grow + adverb (fast/long/quickly)
grow + noun + adjective (long/short)
Usage Note
When transitive, the object is always a body part that grows from the skin (hair, beard, moustache, nails). The intransitive form describes the natural process of the body part itself.
Common Mistakes
3. to live naturally in a specific location, coming up through the ground there — s
to live naturally in a specific location, coming up through the ground there — said of plants, trees, or flowers.
Wild orchids grow along the riverbank near Shanti's village.
grow + along + location (riverbank)
Moss grows best in damp, shady corners of the old stone wall.
grow + in + location + adverb (best)
Rice grows well in the flooded fields near Tunde's village.
Cacti can grow in desert places where few other plants survive.
- grow wild
- grow naturally
- grow abundantly
- grow in [place/conditions]
- grow on [surface]
- grow along [river/road/wall]
- grow well/best/poorly
- native plants grow
- occur naturally
more formal; emphasises that something is native to a location
- flourish
stronger, with a connotation of thriving and doing well
- thrive
suggests vigorous, healthy growth in suitable conditions
Grammar Patterns
plant + grow + in/on/along + place
plant + grow + adverb (well/easily/naturally/wild)
Usage Note
Subject is always a plant or plant-like entity. Unlike sense 4 (CULTIVATE), this sense never takes a direct object — the plant grows by itself, not because someone is tending it. Distinguish from sense 4: 'Rice grows in flooded fields' (sense 3 — natural habitat) vs. 'Farmers grow rice' (sense 4 — human activity).
Common Mistakes
4. to put seeds or young plants into soil and tend them through to harvest or full
to put seeds or young plants into soil and tend them through to harvest or full development — the work of someone who expects to use or sell what comes up.
The Watanabe family grows organic vegetables for the local farmers' market.
grows + noun + for + purpose
Astrid learned to grow roses from cuttings, just like her grandmother did.
grow + noun + from + source
Farmers in this region grow mainly wheat, barley, and oats.
Élise grows fresh herbs in pots on her apartment balcony.
- grow crops
- grow vegetables
- grow flowers
- grow fruit
- grow food
- grow organically
- grow from seed
- grow in pots/greenhouses/fields
- grow for market/sale
- grow your own [food/vegetables]
Grammar Patterns
grow + noun (vegetables/flowers/crops)
grow + noun + for + purpose
grow + noun + in/on + location
Common Mistakes
5. to make a company, business, or organization bigger and more successful, usually
to make a company, business, or organization bigger and more successful, usually by increasing sales, hiring more people, or entering new markets; or to become bigger and more successful in this way.
Tunde plans to grow his construction company by hiring more skilled workers.
transitive: grow + company + by + method
That small coffee chain grew from three outlets to forty in five years.
intransitive: grew + from + to + timeframe
Adina wants to grow the family bakery into a nationwide brand.
The tech start-up grew rapidly after launching its new fitness app.
- grow a business
- grow a company
- grow sales
- grow profits
- grow the economy
- grow the brand
- grow rapidly/quickly/steadily
- grow from [X] to [Y]
- grow by [percentage]
- grow through acquisition/investment
Grammar Patterns
grow + noun (business/company/sales)
noun (business/company) + grow + adverb
grow + from + number + to + number
Usage Note
Often used in business writing and strategic planning contexts. The passive form is also common ('the company was grown through careful investment'). The intransitive use ('the business grew') focuses on the result; the transitive use ('we grew the business') emphasises the deliberate effort.
Common Mistakes
6. to change state gradually by taking on a particular quality, feeling, or conditi
to change state gradually by taking on a particular quality, feeling, or condition — used with an adjective that describes the new state, such as old, tired, dark, cold, quiet, or angry.
As the evening went on, the party grew louder and more exciting.
grew + comparative + and + comparative
Elena grew tired of hearing the same excuse every single day.
grew + tired + of + noun phrase
The traffic noise grew worse after the new highway opened last year.
grew + comparative adjective
Christopher grew more anxious each day while waiting for his results.
The sky grew dark, and the first drops of rain began to fall.
- grow old
- grow tired
- grow dark
- grow cold/warm
- grow quiet/silent
- grow impatient/restless
- grow angry/upset
- grow stronger/weaker
- grow louder/quieter
- grow worse/better
Grammar Patterns
grow + adjective (old/tired/dark/cold)
grow + comparative + and + comparative
grow + to be + adjective
Usage Note
This is a linking verb (copula) similar to 'become' but emphasising a slower, more gradual change. It cannot take a direct object. Common adjective pairs: grow old, grow tired, grow dark, grow cold, grow quiet, grow angry, grow impatient, grow restless. The pattern 'grow to be + adjective' (e.g. 'grew to be quite tall') is less common but acceptable.
Common Mistakes
7. to come over a period of time to have a new feeling, adopt a different opinion,
to come over a period of time to have a new feeling, adopt a different opinion, or start an activity — always paired with a to-infinitive that names the fresh emotion, outlook, or action that arises step by step.
After a few months of lessons, Selim grew to enjoy playing the piano.
grew + to-infinitive (to enjoy)
Sora's colleagues grew to trust his judgment on technical matters.
The students grew to understand their teacher's unusual sense of humour.
grew + to-infinitive (to understand)
Apinya grew to appreciate the peace and quiet of life in the countryside.
- grow to like
- grow to love
- grow to hate
- grow to respect
- grow to trust
- grow to understand
- grow to appreciate
- grow to admire
- grow to fear
- grow to accept
- stop
to cease doing something; can be used as an opposite when the action is intentional
Grammar Patterns
grow + to-infinitive (to like/love/hate/understand/appreciate/respect)
Usage Note
Only followed by a to-infinitive — never by a bare infinitive or an -ing form (*'grow enjoying'). The verbs that commonly follow this pattern describe mental or emotional states: like, love, hate, trust, respect, understand, appreciate, admire, fear. This sense is distinguished from sense 6 (BECOME) by its syntactic structure: sense 6 takes an adjective complement, while sense 7 takes a to-infinitive.
Common Mistakes
grow up
phrasal verbto develop from a child into an adult; to spend your childhood in a particular place or way.
Tunde grew up in a small fishing village where everyone knew each other.
Quinn grew up believing that hard work was the key to success.
grow into
phrasal verbto become big enough to fit into a piece of clothing; or to develop into a particular type of person or role over time.
The coat is a bit loose now, but Shanti will soon grow into it.
Astrid grew into a confident leader after years of working with the team.
grow out of
phrasal verbto become too big for a piece of clothing; or to stop having a particular habit, interest, or feeling as you get older.
Children grow out of their shoes so quickly that parents buy new ones every few months.
Selim grew out of his fear of the dark by the time he turned ten.
grow on
phrasal verbto become more liked or appreciated by someone over time, even though it was not liked at first.
At first Apinya did not like that song, but it slowly grew on her.
The quiet charm of the small town grew on Christopher after a few weeks.
grow apart
phrasal verbWhen people grow apart, they gradually become less close or friendly over time.
After college, Sara and Diego grew apart and rarely spoke.
Friends can grow apart when they move to different cities.
grow away from
phrasal verbTo grow away from someone means to become less close or connected to them as you change.
Teenagers often grow away from their childhood friends.
Min grew away from his old group when he started college.
grow back
phrasal verbIf something grows back, it returns to its original size or length after being cut or damaged.
After the haircut, her hair grew back quickly.
The lizard's tail can grow back if it is lost.
grow out
phrasal verbTo grow out means to allow hair to become longer by not cutting it, or for a plant to extend outward.
Aiden decided to grow out his hair for a year.
The vines grew out from the pot and covered the wall.
used to say that money is a limited resource and should not be wasted or spent carelessly.
When Selim asked for an expensive new phone, his father reminded him that money doesn't grow on trees.
used to say that when you are away from someone you love, your love for them grows stronger.
After Elena moved abroad for a year, she realised that absence really does make the heart grow fonder.
to not delay in taking action or making a decision; to act quickly and stay busy.
Once Tariro got the promotion, she did not let the grass grow under her feet and started planning new projects right away.
This saying means that big and important things often start from very small beginnings.
Maya's small bakery became a chain; great oaks from little acorns grow.
Don't give up on your idea—great oaks from little acorns grow.
This phrase is used to remind someone that money is limited and should not be wasted.
Dad told me money doesn't grow on trees when I asked for a new bike.
Remember, money doesn't grow on trees, so spend it wisely.
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
All five verbs describe things becoming larger, but they differ in how the change happens and what kind of thing is changing. GROW emphasises a gradual, often natural process — a plant grows, a feeling grows, a population grows over years. INCREASE is the most neutral and widely applicable word, used for numbers, amounts, rates, or degrees of anything measurable ('the price increased by five dollars'); it works for both fast and slow changes and for deliberate actions. EXPAND suggests spreading outward in space or area ('the city expanded to the east'), so it fits well with physical territories, businesses, and horizons. ENLARGE is more concrete and visual, typically used for making something physically bigger ('enlarge a photograph', 'enlarge a room'), and it sounds technical in abstract contexts. MULTIPLY means to increase in number by repeated addition or reproduction ('the bacteria multiplied rapidly'), and it carries a sense of repetitive or exponential growth. To choose between them: use GROW for natural, gradual changes in living things or organic systems; use INCREASE for neutral quantitative changes; use EXPAND for things that spread outward; use ENLARGE for making something visually bigger; and use MULTIPLY for numerical multiplication. For example, a child GROWS taller, a company EXPANDS its offices, a photographer ENLARGES a print, and bacteria MULTIPLY in a petri dish.
Common collocations
Phrases
- grow at a rate of
- grow in popularity
- grow by [number/percentage]
- grow from [X] to [Y]
- grow out of control
- grow over time
Etymology
The verb 'grow' comes from Old English grōwan, which meant 'to flourish, increase, or develop.' It traces back to the Proto-Germanic root *grōaną, related to Old Norse gróa, Old Frisian grōwa, and Dutch groeien. These Germanic forms come from the Proto-Indo-European root *ghre-, meaning 'to become green' or 'to grow,' which is also the source of the English words 'green,' 'grass,' and 'graze.' The sense of deliberately cultivating plants (modern sense 4) appeared in the 1300s, while the linking-verb use meaning 'to become' (sense 6) developed around the 1500s.