grow
verb OPAL S
/ɡrəʊ/
/ɡrəʊ/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they grow | /ɡrəʊ/ /ɡrəʊ/ |
| he / she / it grows | /ɡrəʊz/ /ɡrəʊz/ |
| past simple grew | /ɡruː/ /ɡruː/ |
| past participle grown | /ɡrəʊn/ /ɡrəʊn/ |
| -ing form growing | /ˈɡrəʊɪŋ/ /ˈɡrəʊɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] to increase in size, number, strength or quality
- The sector is growing at a phenomenal rate.
- The performance improved as their confidence grew.
- Opposition to the latest proposals is growing steadily.
- The market is growing rapidly.
- Sales are growing fast.
- The business has grown exponentially over the past ten years.
- Fears are growing for the safety of a teenager who disappeared a week ago.
- grow by something The economy is growing by roughly 2 per cent a year.
- The company profits frew by 5 per cent last year.
- grow in something The family has grown in size recently.
- This approach is growing in popularity.
- She is growing in confidence all the time.
- grow from something Her media empire grew from quite small beginnings.
- grow to something That number will grow to two billion users in 2025.
- grow from something to something The city's population has grown from about 50 000 to over a million in 20 years.
- + adj. to grow larger/stronger
- The company is growing bigger all the time.
Homophones groan | growngroan grown/ɡrəʊn//ɡrəʊn/- groan verb
- The awful jokes made us all groan.
- groan noun
- He let out a groan of pain.
- grown (past participle of grow)
- The business has grown hugely in the last ten years.
- grown adjective
- Although he's a grown man, he'll always be our little boy.
Extra ExamplesTopics Change, cause and effecta1, Moneya1- Profits are expected to grow by 10 per cent next year.
- She continued to grow in confidence
- The Chinese economy has grown at a record pace.
- Well before a billionth of a second had elapsed the universe started to grow exponentially.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- fast
- quickly
- rapidly
- …
- seem to
- begin to
- start to
- …
- at
- by
- from
- …
- [intransitive] to become bigger or taller and develop into an adult
- You've grown since the last time I saw you!
- The puppies grow quickly during the first six months.
- + noun Nick's grown almost an inch in the last month.
- + adj. to grow bigger/taller/older
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- fast
- quickly
- rapidly
- …
- into
- to
- [intransitive, transitive] to exist and develop in a particular place; to make plants grow
- The region is too dry for plants to grow.
- Tomatoes grow best in direct sunlight.
- grow to something These roses grow to a height of 6 feet.
- grow from something This is a tree that grows well from cuttings.
- grow something The land is used to grow crops.
- We need to grow our food more efficiently.
- I didn't know they grew rice in France.
- The plants were grown in controlled conditions.
- grow something from something I grew all these flowers from one packet of seeds.
Extra ExamplesTopics Farminga1, Gardensa1- the nettles that grew thickly around the house
- organically grown produce
- an attractive plant which is very hardy and easy to grow
- The tree grew from a small acorn.
- Small acorns grow into great oak trees.
- A rose had been allowed to grow unchecked up one of the walls.
- As the island subsided the reef grew upwards and outwards.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- organically
- commercially
- locally
- …
- be easy to
- grow something from seed
- [intransitive, transitive] to become longer; to allow something to become longer by not cutting it
- I've decided to let my hair grow.
- grow something I've decided to grow my hair.
- I didn't recognize him—he's grown a beard.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- well
- poorly
- fast
- …
- allow something to
- let something
- from
- into
- to
- …
- grow unchecked
- linking verb + adj. to begin to have a particular quality or feeling over a period of time
- He had grown old and fat.
- They were growing tired of her unreasonable behaviour.
- My eyes soon grew accustomed to the darkness.
- Mark and Jenny were growing closer every day.
- As time went on he grew more and more impatient.
- The skies grew dark and it began to rain.
- She grew braver with time.
- [intransitive] grow to do something to gradually begin to do something
- I'm sure you'll grow to like her in time.
- He grew to understand her reasons for leaving.
- [intransitive] grow (as something) (of a person) to develop and improve particular qualities or skills
- She continues to grow as an artist.
- A secure background will help a child to grow emotionally.
- [transitive] grow something to increase the size, quality or number of something
- We are trying to grow the business.
increase
of person/animal
of plant
of hair/nails
become/begin
develop skills
business
Word OriginOld English grōwan (originally referring chiefly to plants), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch groeien, also to grass and green.
Idioms
absence makes the heart grow fonder
- (saying) used to say that when you are away from somebody that you love, you love them even more
great/tall oaks from little acorns grow
- (saying) something large and successful often begins in a very small wayTopics Successc2
it/money doesn’t grow on trees
- (saying) used to tell somebody not to use something or spend money carelessly because you do not have a lot of it
not let the grass grow under your feet
- to not delay in getting things done