grow */*/*/

UK [ɡrəʊ] / US [ɡroʊ] verb
Word forms "grow":
present tense I/you/we/they grow he/she/it grows present participle growing past tense grew UK [ɡruː] / US [ɡru] past participle grown UK [ɡrəʊn] / US [ɡroʊn]

1) [intransitive] if children or animals grow, they become taller or larger

"Hasn't Michael grown?" said my aunt.

grow several inches/a lot/very tall etc:

She must have grown at least four inches since I saw her last.

grow to a size/height/length:

In the right conditions, shellfish can grow to considerable sizes.

Some of these creatures grew to a length of over 12 feet.

fully grown (= having grown to full size):

a fully grown lion

2) [intransitive] if plants or trees grow, they develop and get larger or taller

plants that grow naturally in peat bogs

The redwood tree can grow over 80 metres tall.

grow to maturity:

We left some of the better trees and let them grow to maturity.

a) [intransitive] if trees or plants grow somewhere, they exist there

The trees grew almost to the water's edge.

b) [transitive] if you grow plants, you look after them and help them to develop

the country's largest rice-growing area

They grew all their own vegetables.

Various crops are grown here.

grow something from something:

I've grown these geraniums from seed.

c) [intransitive/transitive] if bacteria or cells grow, or if they are grown, they divide and increase in number

d) [intransitive/transitive] if crystals grow, or if they are grown, they get bigger in size

3)

a) [intransitive] if your hair or nails grow, they become longer

b) [transitive] if you grow your hair or nails, you let them become longer

4) [intransitive] to increase in size

The problem continues to grow.

The world's population was growing faster than predicted.

By 1997, the town had grown big enough to need a school of its own.

grow to:

a ripple of laughter that grew to a delighted roar

grow longer:

The waiting list for housing is growing longer every year.

grow in size/number/amount:

The database will grow in size as necessary.

grow at a fast/record etc rate:

By now the road network was growing at an alarming rate.

5)

a) [intransitive] if a business or the economy grows, more money is used in it and it becomes more successful

In the early part of the century, the industry grew steadily.

grow by 10%/20% etc:

The economy has grown by 7% over the past year.

b) [transitive] to make a business or the economy grow

He has spent the past seven years growing his business.

6) [intransitive] if feelings or qualities grow, they become stronger

She could feel the anger growing inside her.

Fears were growing for his safety.

7) [intransitive] if you grow, the emotional or spiritual part of your character becomes stronger

People need to be able to grow and develop in relationships.

8) [linking verb] literary used for saying that someone or something gradually starts to have a feeling or quality

The nights were growing darker.

Nina was growing bored.

The king grew increasingly suspicious of his officials.

grow used to/accustomed to:

Branson had grown accustomed to the old man's eccentricities.

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Collocations:
Adjectives frequently used with grow
▪  bored, impatient, restless, tired

grow a beard/moustache — to start to let the hair on your face grow, so that you will have a beard or moustache

grow to love/hate/understand etc something — if you grow to feel or understand something, you gradually start to feel or understand it

They had grown to love the place and the people.

He had grown to realize that she would never change.

- something does not grow on trees

Phrasal verbs:

- grow apart

- grow away from

- grow in

- grow into

- grow on

- grow out

- grow out of

- grow up

- grow up on