Meaning & use
grow apart
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Meaning
verbphrasal verb
To slowly become less close to someone because your lives, interests or feelings have drifted in different directions.
Grammar: No object; add from to name the other person: she grew apart from him.
Patterns
- grow apart from someone
- people grow apart
After college, the two friends slowly grew apart.
They did not fight, but they grew apart over the years.
I worry that I am growing apart from my cousins.
Word forms
| third person singular | grows apart |
|---|---|
| past tense | grew apart |
| past participle | grown apart |
| -ing form | growing apart |
Common combinations
- slowly grow apart
- Couples can slowly grow apart without noticing.
- grow apart from
- He grew apart from his old teammates.
- gradually grow apart
- The sisters gradually grew apart after she moved abroad.
- start to grow apart
- We started to grow apart when our jobs changed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- drift apart
- Drift apart is very close in meaning but suggests an even more passive, unplanned change.
- become estranged
- Become estranged is more formal and implies a deeper break, usually with hurt feelings.
- lose touch
- Lose touch means to stop communicating, whereas grow apart concerns emotional distance.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: grow apart or break up?
grow apart vs break up
Break up often means a sudden end to a relationship, whereas grow apart happens gradually.
Practice
Which sentence correctly uses grow apart?
Choose one answer.
Grow apart describes a gradual, natural change, so the second option fits; a sudden fight does not, and the verb takes no direct object.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “grow apart”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.