grow

verb past tense grew /grU:/ past participle grown

1 PERSON/ANIMAL (I) to become bigger and develop over a period of time: How you've grown since the last time I saw you! | grow 2 inches/5cm etc: Stan grew two inches in six months. | growing boy/girl: Of course he eats a lot - he's a growing boy!

2 PLANTS/CROPS

a) (I) to exist and develop somewhere in a natural way: There's corn growing in that field. | It's too cold for orchids to grow here.

b) (T) to make plants or crops grow by taking care of them: We grow all our own vegetables.

—see raise 1

3 HAIR/NAILS

a) (I) if hair, nails etc grow, they become longer

b) (T) if you grow your hair, nails, you do not cut them

4 INCREASE (I) to increase in amount, size, or degree: De Niro's reputation continues to grow. | Fears are growing for the safety of the crew. | growing concern/interest/disbelief etc: Scientists view the hole in the ozone layer with growing concern. | a growing number: A growing number of people are taking part-time jobs. | grow in strength/confidence (=become stronger, more confident)

5 grow old/hot/worse etc to become old etc over a period of time: She grew impatient with his constant excuses. | I'm scared of growing old.

6 grow to like/fear/respect etc to gradually start to like etc someone or something: After a while the kids grew to like Mr Cox.

7 IMPROVE (I) to improve in ability or character: She's grown tremendously as a musician since Pallino took her on.

8 BUSINESS (T) to make something increase in size or importance: We want to grow the export side of the business.

9 it doesn't grow on trees spoken used about money, to mean that you should not waste it

grow apart phrasal verb (I) if two people grow apart, their relationship becomes less close: He said the couple had been growing apart for at least a year. grow away from sb phrasal verb (transitive not in passive) to begin gradually to have a less close relationship with someone that you loved: While at university she had grown away from her family. grow into sb/sth phrasal verb (transitive not in passive)

1 to develop over a period of time and become a particular kind of person or thing: Susan's grown into a lovely young woman.

2 if a child grows into clothes, they become big enough to wear them: His new jacket's a bit big for him now but he'll soon grow into it.

3 to gradually learn how to do a job or deal with a situation successfully

grow on sb phrasal verb (T) if someone or something grows on you, you like them more and more: His music is difficult to listen to, but after a while it grows on you. grow out of sth phrasal verb (T)

1 if a child grows out of clothes, they become too big to wear them

2 if a child grows out of a habit, they stop doing it as they get older: She used to bite her nails but seems to have grown out of it.

3 to develop from something small or simple into something bigger or more complicated: The dispute grew out of an argument between a worker and the foreman.

grow up phrasal verb (I)

1 develop from being a child to being an adult: What do you want to be when you grow up? | I grew up on a farm.

2 grow up! spoken used to tell someone to behave more like an adult, especially when they have been behaving in a silly way

3 to start to exist and become bigger or more important: Trading settlements grew up along the river.