grow apart
phrasal verb
grew apart; grown apart; growing apart; grows apart
: to become less friendly or emotionally close as time passes : to become distant from someone
My wife and I have grown apart over the years.
Examples of grow apart in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The play concerns two cousins who have grown apart and reunite at the funeral of family members.
—
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 June 2025
But the married couple grew apart and on Aug. 2, 2015, Jason Corbett was beaten to death by Molly Corbett and her father Tom Martens.
—Maureen Maher, CBS News, 23 May 2025
The flashbacks to Ellie’s birthday celebrations with Joel felt like explainers of how the two grew apart as opposed to emotional snapshots that captured the roots of their estrangement.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
At its largest, the guest list reached 290 people, the post read, and was full of people the couple didn't talk to or had grown apart from.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 16 May 2025
Over time, even the strongest marriages go through shifts, and understanding the deeper truths about love can make all the difference between growing together or growing apart.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
According to a Newsweek report, feuds over inheritance, personal choices and unresolved childhood conflicts are among the most common reasons siblings grow apart.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
However, as time passes, the older sister, Zoja, begins to grow apart from Lea.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 26 Mar. 2025
Despite growing apart, developing different values, and physically moving away from each other, childhood friends can be unexpectedly hard to let go.
—Aditi Shrikant, CNBC, 6 Apr. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 June 2025
But the married couple grew apart and on Aug. 2, 2015, Jason Corbett was beaten to death by Molly Corbett and her father Tom Martens.
—Maureen Maher, CBS News, 23 May 2025
The flashbacks to Ellie’s birthday celebrations with Joel felt like explainers of how the two grew apart as opposed to emotional snapshots that captured the roots of their estrangement.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
At its largest, the guest list reached 290 people, the post read, and was full of people the couple didn't talk to or had grown apart from.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 16 May 2025
Over time, even the strongest marriages go through shifts, and understanding the deeper truths about love can make all the difference between growing together or growing apart.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
According to a Newsweek report, feuds over inheritance, personal choices and unresolved childhood conflicts are among the most common reasons siblings grow apart.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
However, as time passes, the older sister, Zoja, begins to grow apart from Lea.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 26 Mar. 2025
Despite growing apart, developing different values, and physically moving away from each other, childhood friends can be unexpectedly hard to let go.
—Aditi Shrikant, CNBC, 6 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grow apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grow%20apart. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share