To grow means to become larger, more developed, or more advanced over time; to cultivate plants or crops; or to change gradually into a new state. It is an irregular verb: grow → grew → grown.
What Does Grow Mean?
Grow comes from the Old English growan, which meant to grow or to flourish, related to Old Norse groa and Proto-Germanic *gro- — the same root that gives us grass and green. All three words share the idea of living things developing and becoming.
In modern British English, grow covers a wide range of meanings. It describes biological development (children grow quickly), commercial expansion (the company has grown rapidly), the cultivation of plants (she grows her own herbs), and gradual changes of state when used as a linking verb (he grew impatient). This versatility makes it one of the most frequently used verbs at every level from A2 to C2.
Note the key irregular forms: the simple past is grew (not growed), and the past participle is grown. These must be memorised. The present participle growing follows standard rules. Related nouns include growth (uncountable, general development) and a grower (a person or company that cultivates plants commercially).
Example Sentences by Level
| Sentence | Level / Usage note |
|---|---|
| My brother grew a lot last year — he is now taller than our dad. | A2 — physical development, simple past |
| We grow tomatoes and courgettes in the garden every summer. | B1 — cultivate plants, present simple habit |
| The company has grown rapidly over the past five years. | B1 — business expansion, present perfect |
| As the evening wore on, the crowd grew restless and began to leave. | B2 — linking verb, gradual change of state |
| Rather than diminishing with setbacks, her resolve to succeed only grew stronger. | C1 — figurative, formal register, comparative adjective |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| grow rapidly / steadily | The population has grown steadily over the last decade. |
| grow a business | She left her job to grow a business from scratch. |
| grow a beard | He decided to grow a beard during the winter months. |
| grow in confidence | Students grow in confidence as they gain more speaking practice. |
| grow in popularity | Podcasts have grown enormously in popularity since 2015. |
| grow apart | After university, the two friends slowly grew apart. |
| grow up | Where did you grow up? — I grew up in Bristol. |
| grow out of | She has already grown out of her new school shoes. |
| grow into | It is a big role, but I am sure he will grow into it. |
| grow on (someone) | The new album took a while, but it has really grown on me. |
Usage Notes
Three Distinct Uses to Know
- Intransitive (no object) — increase in size or number: "The city grew.", "Profits have grown." No direct object follows the verb.
- Transitive — cultivate plants or develop something: "They grow wheat.", "She is growing her brand online." Here grow takes a direct object.
- Linking verb — gradual change of state: "He grew tired.", "The tension grew unbearable." In this pattern, grow is followed by an adjective, not a noun, and means the same as become or get but sounds more gradual and literary.
In formal or business writing, grow as a transitive verb applied to abstract nouns is very common: grow the economy, grow revenue, grow your network. Some traditionalists object to this use, but it is now fully established in both British and American English.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
The plant growed very fast in the sunshine.
The plant grew very fast in the sunshine. (grew is the irregular simple past — never growed)
She has grew so much since I last saw her.
She has grown so much since I last saw her. (grown is the past participle used with has/have/had)
He became growing interested in photography.
He grew increasingly interested in photography. (use grew + adjective, not became growing)