sprout

1 of 2

verb

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

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
Many native plant seeds sprout better with cold stratification, which can be accomplished by planting seeds outside in fall. Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2024 So much so that it’s become joked about and memed all over social media, with the term itself sprouting before their courtship to describe anything with a Mexican energy to it (to dance Mexicanly would include a zapateada, for example). Alex Zaragoza, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024
Noun
Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts contain indole glucosinolates (also known as glucobrassicins). Elizabeth Barnes, Verywell Health, 24 Sep. 2024 Check for any bruising or mold and avoid any vegetables with sprouts growing on them. Cody Godwin, USA TODAY, 16 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sprout 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sprout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of sprout was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near sprout

Cite this Entry

“Sprout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprout. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

sprout

1 of 2 verb
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
: to send out new growth : produce sprouts
vascular endothelial growth factor … has been shown to spur blood vessels to sproutGreg 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 sproutsJ. L. Marx

More from Merriam-Webster on sprout

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