grow

grow

grow S1 W1 /ɡrəʊ $ ɡroʊ/ verb (past tense grew /ɡruː/, past participle grown /ɡrəʊn $ ɡroʊn/)
  [Word Family: noun: grower, growth, undergrowth, outgrowth, overgrowth; adjective: growing, grown, overgrown; verb: grow, outgrow]
 [Language: Old English; Origin: growan]
 1. INCREASE 
   a) [intransitive] to increase in amount, size, number, or strength OPP shrink:
   • Support for Mr Thompson is growing.
  grow by
   • Sales of new cars grew by 10% last year.
  grow from/to
   • The number of students at the college has grown from 200 to over 500.
   • A growing number of people are taking part-time jobs.
  grow rapidly/slowly/steadily
   • The economy has grown steadily.
   • Fears are growing for the crew’s safety.
  grow in
   • a city that is still growing in size
   • Skiing has really grown in popularity.
   • There is growing concern about climate change.
   • my growing interest in China
   b) [transitive] to make a business or part of a business bigger and more successful:
   • We want to grow the export side of the business.
  REGISTER
   In everyday English, people usually say an amount or level goes up rather than grows:
   ▪ • Sales went up by 10% last year.
   ▪ • The population of the town has gone up to almost a million.
 2. PERSON/ANIMAL  [intransitive] to become bigger, taller etc over a period of time in the process of becoming an adult OPP shrink:
   • You’ve really grown since I last saw you.
   • Victor seemed to grow taller every day.
  grow 2 inches/5 cm etc
   • Stan grew two inches in six months.
 3. PLANTS 
   a) [intransitive] if plants grow, they exist and develop in a natural way:
   • a tree which will grow well in most types of soil
   • The plants grow wild (=grow without anyone looking after them) by the river.
   b) [transitive] to make plants or crops develop and produce fruit or flowers ⇨ raise:
   • Many families own plots of land to grow food.
   • Britain grows 6,000,000 tonnes of potatoes a year.
   • The growing season is from April to September.
 4. HAIR/NAILS 
   a) [transitive] if you grow your hair or nails, you do not cut them:
   • I’ve decided to grow my hair long.
  grow a beard/moustache
   b) [intransitive] when hair or nails grow, they become longer
 5. BECOME 
   a) [I always + adj] to change and become different quite slowly:
   • The sound was growing louder.
   • Her tastes have changed as she’s grown older.
   • Donna has grown tired of being a model.
   • Gradually, Fiona’s eyes grew used to the darkness (=she gradually became able to see a little better).
   b) [intransitive] to gradually change your opinions and have a feeling that you did not have before
  grow to like/hate/respect etc
   • After a while the kids grew to like Mr Cox.
   • the city he had grown to love
  REGISTER
   In everyday English, people usually say get older/tired/angry etc rather than grow older/tired/angry etc, which sounds rather literary:
   ▪ • The sound was getting louder.
 6. IMPROVE  [intransitive] to gradually become better, bigger etc
  grow as
   • She’s grown tremendously as a musician.
 7. it/money doesn’t grow on trees spoken used to say that you should not waste money
 grow apart phrasal verb
   if two people grow apart, their relationship becomes less close:
   • The couple had been growing apart for years.
 grow into somebody/something phrasal verb
  1. to develop over time and become a particular kind of person or thing:
   • Sue grew into a lovely young woman.
   • The two-part show has grown into a full-fledged series.
  2. to gradually learn how to do a job or deal with a situation successfully:
   • She will grow into her new role over the next few months.
  3. if a child grows into clothes, he or she becomes big enough to wear them
 grow on somebody phrasal verb
   if something grows on you, you gradually like it more and more:
   • I hated his music at first, but it grows on you.
 grow out phrasal verb
   if you grow out a hairstyle, or if it grows out, you gradually grow your hair until the style disappears
  grow something ↔ out
   • I’m growing my fringe out.
 grow out of something phrasal verb
  1. if a child grows out of clothes, he or she becomes too big to wear them SYN outgrow
  2. if someone grows out of something, they stop doing it as they get older SYN outgrow:
   • Mike finally seems to be growing out of his rebelliousness.
  3. to develop or happen as a result of something else that happened or existed:
   • His art grew out of his love of nature.
   • legislation which grew out of concern over the increasing crime rate
 grow up phrasal verb
  1. to develop from being a child to being an adult:
   • What do you want to be when you grow up?
   • I grew up in Chicago.
  2. grow up! spoken used to tell someone to behave in a more responsible way, like an adult
  3. to start to exist or develop gradually:
   • Trading settlements grew up by the river.