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

The convention had outgrown multiple venues from its inception, with attendance and vendors expanding each year. —Anna Ortiz, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026

A couple of years ago, the company outgrew its old space and took over a turnkey lease from the messaging company Slack. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026

Often, these cute plushies make their way to a thrift store after their first owner has outgrown them. —Heather Bien, Martha Stewart, 9 Feb. 2026

Paul Batista, cofounder of Welcome Edition, said the show had outgrown its previous location near Bastille and that buyer turnout had been strong this session. —Alex Wynne, Footwear News, 9 Feb. 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