outgrow
verb
out·grow
ˌau̇t-ˈgrō 
outgrew
ˌau̇t-ˈgrü
; outgrown
ˌau̇t-ˈgrōn
; outgrowing
; outgrown
ˌau̇t-ˈgrōn
; outgrowing
1
: to grow or increase faster than
mankind is outgrowing food supplies—
R. C. Murphy
R. C. Murphy2
: to grow too large or too mature for
outgrew his best suit
the need to outgrow the habit of war—Norman Cousins
Norman CousinsExamples of outgrow in a Sentence
Kids outgrow their clothes so quickly.
The plant has outgrown my garden.
Our business is outgrowing its small office building.
She's outgrown most of her toys.
I realized that I had outgrown my old high school friends.
Recent Examples on the Web
How to prevent or treat eczema While eczema isn’t usually curable, Portela notes that some children outgrow it by age 5 or 6.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
By the mid-1980s, the collection had outgrown her house.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2025
Beyond the massive servers, researchers estimate that tens of millions of active servers span topics such as sports and study groups—proof that the app’s chat, voice and livestream tools have outgrown their gaming roots.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
If your shrub has outgrown its space, do a hard cutback during the winter months.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for outgrow
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Daryl Austin, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
By the mid-1980s, the collection had outgrown her house.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2025
Beyond the massive servers, researchers estimate that tens of millions of active servers span topics such as sports and study groups—proof that the app’s chat, voice and livestream tools have outgrown their gaming roots.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
If your shrub has outgrown its space, do a hard cutback during the winter months.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for outgrow
Cite this Entry
“Outgrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outgrow. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
outgrow
verb
out·grow
(ˈ)au̇t-ˈgrō
1
: to grow faster than
2
: to grow too large or too mature for
outgrew their clothes
outgrow playing with dolls
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