outgrow

play

verb out·grow \ˌau̇t-ˈgrō\

Definition of outgrow

outgrew

play \ˌau̇t-ˈgrü\;

outgrown

play \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

See outgrow defined for English-language learners

See outgrow defined for kids

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 of outgrow from the Web

The center was housed for years at the Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills, but outgrew its space there and needed a new home.

— john wisely, Detroit Free Press, "Why 250 bats just moved into downtown Pontiac", 29 June 2017
In business since 1977, Pete's A Towing is renting a building on Route 25 in unincorporated East Dundee, but has outgrown the one-bathroom space, said Dana Bernaeyge, a company representative.

— erin sauder, Elgin Courier-News, "Towing firm's relocation meets resistance in East Dundee", 23 June 2017
Dale’s soon outgrew its space in Homewood and relocated to Irondale.

— AL.com, "Alabama's iconic Dale's steak sauce: A well-seasoned history", 22 June 2017
The $1,160 price tag for a bassinet that a baby outgrows after six months is bound to keep it off the baby registry for many.

— michael alison chandler, Washington Post, "This pediatrician has been teaching parents to soothe fussy babies for years. Now he’s designed a crib that can do it.", 14 June 2017
St. Anthony’s eventually outgrew its space and relocated to Northeast Second Street.

— larry barszewski, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Fort Lauderdale protects (some of) historic church", 9 June 2017
Most children eventually outgrow their oddness or learn the advisability of controlling it.

— john rosemond, charlotteobserver, "John Rosemond: Hold off on ‘evaluation' of happy, content kid", 7 June 2017
The first-grader at Pink Elementary had outgrown two other ride-on vehicles his family bought.

— valerie wigglesworth, chicagotribune.com, "Kids with disabilities find ‘pure joy’ in toy cars that boost mobility", 7 June 2017
While Meraviglia is the big, new kid on the block for 2017, in just a few years, its younger sisters will outgrow it—

— ryan craggs, CNT, "Biggest Cruise Ship in the World Announced by MSC Cruises", 6 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'outgrow'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of outgrow

1597

OUTGROW Defined for English Language Learners

outgrow

play

verb

Definition of outgrow for English Language Learners

: to grow too large for (someone or something)
: to stop doing (something) because you are older and more mature
: to stop being interested in or involved with (something or someone) because you have changed as you have grown older