grew

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitive

   Past tense of grow: became larger, taller, or more developed over time.

   Grammar: No object; the thing that changes is the subject: The tree grew quickly.

   Patterns

   • grew quickly
   • grew by something
   • grew into something

   My little brother grew six centimeters last year.

   The business grew slowly at first, then very fast.

   The seed grew into a tall sunflower by August.

2. 2verbintransitive

   Past tense of grow: increased in amount, level, or importance.

   Grammar: No object; often used with numbers or with words like concern, demand, and interest.

   Patterns

   • grew by ten percent
   • grew to something
   • grew in popularity

   Sales grew by twelve percent in the last quarter.

   Her interest in science grew after she joined the school lab.

   The waiting list grew to over two hundred names.

3. 3verbtransitive or intransitive

   Past tense of grow: was raised or produced in a place, as plants do.

   Grammar: Can take an object naming the crop: They grew rice. Without an object, the plant is the subject: Rice grew well there.

   Patterns

   • grew vegetables
   • grew something in something
   • something grew well

   My grandparents grew tomatoes and peppers in the backyard.

   Rice grew well in the wet fields near the river.

   He grew a beard over the winter, so I hardly recognized him.

Word forms

Common combinations

grew up

She grew up in a small town near the coast.

grew rapidly

The village grew rapidly after the new road opened.

grew tired of something

The children grew tired of the same game and went outside.

grew apart

After college, the two friends slowly grew apart.

grew by ten percent

The company's profits grew by ten percent last year.

Synonyms and how they differ

increased

Use increased for numbers, prices, or amounts; grew is more general and also works for living things and for becoming a certain way.

expanded

Expanded suggests something getting bigger in size or range, often deliberately; grew can simply happen on its own.

developed

Developed stresses gradual change into a new stage; grew is the everyday word for getting bigger.

Opposites

Word family

grow verb

the base form: to become bigger or to produce plants

growth noun

the process of getting bigger or increasing

grower noun

a person or company that produces plants or crops

grown adjective

fully developed; adult, as in a grown man

growing adjective

increasing or developing, as in a growing problem

Commonly confused: grew or grown? grew or grow?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “grew”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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