GROW


Meaning of GROW in English

[ grəʊ ]

■ verb ( past grew gru: ; past participle ~n grəʊn )

1》 (of a living thing) undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically.

↘( ~ up ) progress to maturity or adulthood.

↘( ~ out of or into ) become too large (or large enough) to wear.

2》 come into existence and develop.

↘(with reference to a plant) germinate or cause to germinate and develop.

3》 become larger or greater over time; increase.

↘develop or expand (an enterprise or business).

↘become increasingly: we grew braver.

4》 ( ~ on ) become gradually more appealing to.

Phrases

~ on trees [usu. with negative ] informal be plentiful or easily obtained.

Derivatives

~able adjective

~er noun

Origin

OE grōwan , of Gmc origin; related to grass and green .

Usage

The use of ~ as a transitive verb has long been standard in contexts which refer to ~ing one's hair and plants ( more land was needed to ~ crops ). More recently, however, it has extended its transitive sense and become popular in business jargon: entrepreneurs who are struggling to ~ their businesses. This is still a relatively new usage, and it is perhaps better to avoid it in formal contexts.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.