INDEX:
1. when people, animals, or plants get bigger
2. someone or something that has finished growing
3. to make plants grow
4. to put seeds or young plants into the ground
5. the amount of something that is grown in one season
6. land where the soil is good for growing plants
7. land where the soil is not good for growing plants
RELATED WORDS
to become larger in number, amount, cost etc : ↑ INCREASE
to change over a period of time and become bigger, stronger, better etc : ↑ DEVELOP
see also
↑ BIG
↑ CHANGE/NOT CHANGE
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1. when people, animals, or plants get bigger
▷ grow /grəʊ/ [intransitive verb]
to become bigger and more developed over a period of time :
▪ Tom has really grown since I last saw him.
▪ The fish are kept in tanks until they have grown enough to be released into the river.
grow one metre/two centimetres/six inches etc
▪ Amy grew 6 inches last year.
grow into
▪ Within a few years, these saplings will grow into tall trees.
grow to ten inches/two metres/70 feet etc
▪ The Eastern White Pine often grows to 200 feet.
grow to a height/length/width etc of
▪ Sunflowers can grow to a height of ten feet.
growth [uncountable noun]
▪ A healthy diet is necessary for a child’s normal growth.
▷ develop /dɪˈveləp/ [intransitive verb]
if a child, plant, or animal develops, it gradually changes into the form it will have as an adult :
▪ The baby develops very quickly during the first few weeks of pregnancy.
develop into
▪ In less that 12 weeks the chicks will develop into adult birds.
development [uncountable noun]
▪ All the children are weighed and measured regularly to check their development.
▷ get taller/bigger /ˌget ˈtɔːləʳ, ˈbɪgəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to grow and become taller, especially in a short period of time :
▪ Eleanor’s getting bigger, isn’t she? I hardly recognised her.
get bigger and bigger/taller and taller
▪ The grass got taller and taller over the summer.
▷ shoot up /ˌʃuːt ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to suddenly get a lot bigger - use this about children and plants that have grown quickly :
▪ Jo’s shot up since I last saw her.
▪ In May the plants all start to shoot up.
▷ come up /ˌkʌm ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if plants come up, they start growing above the soil, especially in the spring :
▪ I sowed lots of poppies, but they haven’t come up yet.
▪ The weeds keep coming up year after year.
▷ increase in size /ɪnˌkriːs ɪn ˈsaɪz/ [verb phrase]
if something increases in size, it gets bigger, especially as a result of particular conditions :
▪ As the plant grows, the roots also increase in size.
▪ If the tumour is not removed, it will increase in size and may cause a blockage.
▷ mature /məˈtʃʊəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
if a plant matures, it grows to its full size :
▪ A tree takes many years to mature.
▪ In the hot weather the fruit matured quickly.
2. someone or something that has finished growing
▷ fully grown /ˌfʊli ˈgrəʊn◂/ [adjective]
a fully-grown person, animal, or plant has reached the size that it will stay at :
▪ A fully grown elephant can weigh several tons.
▪ Jim was six foot at the age of fourteen, even before he was fully grown.
▪ The shrubs were transplanted fully grown from other parts of the country.
▷ adult /ˈædʌlt, əˈdʌlt/ [adjective only before noun]
adult animal/insect/female etc
an animal that has developed fully and finished growing - use this especially in scientific contexts when you are comparing older and younger animals :
▪ The disease can be very serious in adult animals.
▪ It was thought that the skull was too small and light to belong to an adult male.
▪ Soon the skin of the pupa splits open, and the fully-formed adult butterfly emerges.
▷ mature /məˈtʃʊəʳ/ [adjective]
a plant or animal that is mature has finished growing and developing :
▪ The house has a lovely garden surrounded by mature oak trees.
▪ A hen is a mature female chicken, more than ten months old.
3. to make plants grow
▷ grow /grəʊ/ [transitive verb]
to plant and look after plants so that they develop and grow :
▪ Farmers in this area grow mainly wheat.
▪ It’s very satisfying growing your own vegetables.
▪ Wild flowers are quick and easy to grow from seed.
▷ cultivate /ˈkʌltɪveɪt, ˈkʌltəveɪt/ [transitive verb]
to grow vegetables and other crops, especially in order to sell them :
▪ Nearer the coast, huge areas of land are given over to cultivating tomatoes.
▪ Gradually it was found more profitable to cultivate vines and olives rather than grain.
cultivate the land
use the land to grow crops
▪ Population growth is causing people to clear more woodland so that they can cultivate the land.
cultivation /ˌkʌltɪˈveɪʃ ə n, ˌkʌltəˈveɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
cultivate of
▪ In the mountains, the higher rainfall allows for the cultivation of some cereals.
cultivated [adjective]
▪ Wild strawberries are smaller than the cultivated variety.
▷ raise /reɪz/ [transitive verb]
to grow plants, especially in large amounts to be used as food :
▪ Last year we raised a good crop of onions.
▪ Tomato plants can be raised from seed in a heated greenhouse.
▷ have green fingers British /have a green thumb American /hæv ˌgriːn ˈfɪŋgəʳz, hæv ə ˌgriːn ˈθʌm/ [verb phrase]
to be good at making plants grow :
▪ He had green fingers, my grandfather. He could grow anything.
▪ The flower show season is upon us, and whether you have a green thumb or not, you should take a look at your garden.
4. to put seeds or young plants into the ground
▷ plant /plɑːntǁplænt/ [transitive verb]
to put seeds or plants into the soil so that they will grow :
▪ Before you plant the seeds, prepare the soil carefully.
▪ They planted an oak tree in the middle of the field.
▪ Towards the end of March, the potatoes can be planted outside in the ground.
▷ sow /səʊ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to plant seeds in the soil, especially in a planned way and at the best time of year for them to grow well :
▪ If you want an early crop, you should sow in September.
▪ Sow the seeds in rows about 20 centimetres apart.
▪ The ground was still too waterlogged for sowing rice.
5. the amount of something that is grown in one season
▷ crop /krɒpǁkrɑːp/ [countable noun]
the amount of wheat, rice, fruit etc that is produced in one season :
▪ The rain was so bad this year that he lost the whole crop of barley.
▪ With high-yield varieties of rice the farmers can grow two or three crops a year.
potato/cereal/rice etc crop
▪ Indian farmers have doubled their output of cereal crops like wheat.
crop failure
when the crop does not grow or is destroyed
▪ The famine was caused by drought, which led to widespread crop failure.
record/bumper crop
an unusually large crop
▪ Thanks to the lovely weather we had a bumper crop of peaches and nectarines this year.
▷ harvest /ˈhɑːʳvɪst, ˈhɑːʳvəst/ [countable noun]
the crops that are ready to be gathered or that have been gathered at a particular time of the year :
▪ The harvest is usually ready in July or August.
a good/bad etc harvest
when you get a lot of crops or not many
▪ The heavy frosts had ended hopes of a good harvest that year.
olive/grain/grape etc harvest
▪ This year’s olive harvest was the best since the war.
a bumper harvest
an unusually large harvest
▪ As a result of several bumper harvests, the country now has a grain surplus.
get the harvest in
gather the crops
▪ Even the youngest children would come and help to get the harvest in.
6. land where the soil is good for growing plants
▷ fertile /ˈfɜːʳtaɪlǁ-tl/ [adjective]
land or soil that is fertile is good for growing plants because it contains substances that plants need :
▪ This shrub likes sun and water as well as a fertile well-drained soil.
▪ Farmers left the rocky hills of New England for the fertile plains of the Middle West.
▪ The valley was fertile, and a good crop was a near certainty.
fertility /fɜːʳˈtɪlɪti, fɜːʳˈtɪləti/ [uncountable noun]
▪ Native American tribes migrated to the region, exploiting the fertility of the soil.
▷ rich /rɪtʃ/ [adjective]
soil or land that is rich contains a lot of substances that help plants to grow :
▪ Potato plants are easy to grow and do not require rich soil.
▪ the rich farmland of the Ukraine
rich in
▪ The soil in this area is rich in nitrogen.
7. land where the soil is not good for growing plants
▷ poor /pʊəʳ/ [adjective]
soil or land that is poor does not contain many substances that help plants to grow :
▪ Most herbs grow fairly well in dry, poor soil.
▪ The land around here is poor because of years of intensive farming.
poor in
▪ The soil is very poor in minerals and needs some fertilizer.
▷ barren /ˈbærən/ [adjective]
land that is barren is useless for growing crops on, and is usually dry and empty :
▪ Intense heat had created a completely barren landscape, almost like the moon.
▪ the rocky, barren slopes of the mountain