sprout

1 of 2

verb

ˈsprau̇t 

sprouted; sprouting; sprouts

intransitive verb

1

: to grow, spring up, or come forth as or as if a sprout

2

: to send out new growth

transitive verb

: to send forth or up : cause to develop : grow

sprout

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: shoot sense 1a

especially : a young shoot (as from a seed or root)

b sprouts plural

(1)

chiefly British : brussels sprout sense 2

(2)

: edible sprouts especially from recently germinated seeds (as of alfalfa or mung beans)

2

: something resembling a sprout: such as

a

: a young person

b

: scion sense 1

Synonyms

Noun

• kid
• child
• bud
• cub
• chick

Examples of sprout in a Sentence

Verb

seeds sprouting in the spring

Potatoes will sprout in the bag if kept in a warm place.

The garden is sprouting weeds.

The tree is already sprouting leaves.

He sprouted a beard since the last time I saw him.

She dreamed that her boss had sprouted horns.

Hair sprouted on his face.

Noun

he earned the admiration of the neighborhood sprouts when he showed them how to make a slingshot

the raspberry bushes began sending out sprouts in early spring

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Fittingly, the remaining stump of the Sycamore Gap tree has begun to sprout seedlings, perhaps a quiet echo of the spirit of redemption. —Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025

Alfonso Gonzalez Loeschen, the current CEO of Nespresso North America, has also spent 33 years at Nestlé, with his roots first sprouting as an intern in 1992. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2025

Noun

Plant out transplants of broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower later in the month if the weather cools. —Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2025

This latter interpretation recalls Persephone’s yearly return from the underworld or another myth in which a pomegranate sprouts from drops of Dionysus’s blood after his death, heralding his resurrection. —Demir Alp, JSTOR Daily, 29 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English spruten, from Old English -sprūtan; akin to Old High German spriozan to sprout, Lithuanian sprausti to squeeze, thrust

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sprout

• brussels sprout
• water sprout

Rhymes for sprout

• bout
• clout
• doubt
• drought
• flout
• gout
• grout
• kraut
• lout
• out
• pout
• rout

Kids Definition

sprout

1 of 2 verb

ˈsprau̇t 

1

: to grow or spring up as or as if a sprout

2

: to send out new growth

potatoes kept too warm will sprout in the bag

3

: to send forth or up : cause to develop : grow

sprout

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: shoot entry 2 sense 1a

especially : a young shoot (as from a seed or root)

2

plural : edible young shoots especially from recently germinated seeds (as of alfalfa)

Medical Definition

sprout

1 of 2 intransitive verb

ˈsprau̇t 

: to send out new growth : produce sprouts

vascular endothelial growth factor … has been shown to spur blood vessels to sprout

—Greg Miller

sprout

2 of 2 noun

: a new outgrowth (as of nerve tissue) resembling the young shoot of a plant

segments of the axon above the injury … produce new sprouts

—J. L. Marx