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

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

That same push for uniformity kept us from enjoying bisporus that outgrew the tidy little button shape. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 15 July 2026

As this happens, the plant tends to become root-bound, a condition where the roots outgrow the container, overlap each other, circle around the bottom of the container, and turn to grow back up and/or against the container wall. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 15 July 2026

Local officials fear that Neil is the latest wild animal whose social media stardom has outgrown what’s good for him. — ABC News, 3 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