outgrow

verb

out·​grow ˌau̇t-ˈgrō 

outgrew ˌau̇t-ˈgrü  ; outgrown ˌau̇t-ˈgrōn  ; outgrowing

transitive verb

1

: to grow or increase faster than

… mankind is outgrowing food supplies.

—R. C. Murphy

2

: to grow too large or too mature for

outgrew his best suit

the need to outgrow the habit of war

—Norman Cousins

Examples 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

New research from Faire shows that physical stores of independent retailers are outgrowing online-only ones, while the locations of the stores are more numerous in smaller towns versus major cities. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 23 July 2026

What's more, slowed career development was shown to be caused by structural factors workers can’t always mitigate, such as limited internal promotion pathways, transitions between jobs, and roles that outgrow their original scope. — Liz Elting, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

New Life Church and Academy was founded in 1976 and, over the years, has outgrown its spaces, the school stated. — Talia McWright, Twin Cities, 21 July 2026

Lowrance isn’t going to stay at short and could outgrow third base as well, but the bat is his carrying tool. — Keith Law, New York Times, 16 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for outgrow

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

outgrow

verb

out·​grow (ˈ)au̇t-ˈgrō 

outgrew -ˈgrü  ; outgrown -ˈgrōn  ; outgrowing

1

: to grow faster than

2

: to grow too large or too mature for

outgrew their clothes

outgrow playing with dolls