(grō)
verb grew grew (gro͞o),
grown grown (grōn),
grow·ing,
grows verb, intransitive- To increase in size by a natural process.
a. To expand; gain: The business grew under new owners.
b. To increase in amount or degree; intensify: The suspense grew.
- To develop and reach maturity.
- To be capable of growth; thrive: a plant that grows in shade.
- To become attached by or as if by the process of growth: tree trunks that had grown together.
- To come into existence from a source; spring up: love that grew from friendship.
- To come to be by a gradual process or by degrees; become: grow angry; grow closer.
verb, transitive- To cause to grow; raise: grow tulips.
- To allow (something) to develop or increase by a natural process: grow a beard.
- Usage Problem To cause to increase or expand by concerted effort: strategies that grew the family business.
Phrasal Verbs: grow into To develop so as to become:
A boy grows into a man. To develop or change so as to fit:
She grew into her job. He grew into the relationship slowly.grow on/upon To become gradually more evident to:
A feeling of distrust grew on me. To become gradually more pleasurable or acceptable to:
a taste that grows on a person. grow up To become an adult.
Related Forms:
Usage Note: Grow has been used since medieval times as an intransitive verb, as in
Our business has been growing steadily for 10 years. It has been used with an object since the 18th century, meaning “to produce or cultivate,” as in
We grow corn in our garden. But the transitive use applied to business and nonliving things is quite new. It came into full bloom during the 1992 presidential election, when nearly all the candidates were concerned with
“growing the economy.” The Usage Panel is decidedly less fond of this development than business leaders and politicans are. Eighty percent of the Panel rejects the phrase
grow our business. The Panel is more accepting of, though not enthusiastic about, the phrase
grow our way, perhaps because of
way's established use in expressions like
make our way and
find our way: 48 percent accept
We've got to grow our way out of this recession. The Panel has no affection for the odd but occasionally heard phrase
grow down: 98 percent reject
If elected, I shall do my utmost to grow down the deficit.