/ grəʊθ; NAmE groʊθ/ noun
1.
[ U ] ( of people, animals or plants ) the process of growing physically, mentally or emotionally :
Lack of water will stunt the plant's growth.
Remove dead leaves to encourage new growth.
a concern with personal (= mental and emotional) growth and development
growth hormones (= designed to make sb/sth grow faster)
2.
[ U ] growth (in / of sth) an increase in the size, amount or degree of sth :
population growth
the rapid growth in violent crime
3.
[ U ] an increase in economic activity :
a disappointing year of little growth in Britain and America
policies aimed at sustaining economic growth
an annual growth rate of 10%
a growth area / industry
4.
[ C ] a lump caused by a disease that forms on or inside a person, an animal or a plant :
a malignant / cancerous growth
5.
[ U , C ] something that has grown :
The forest's dense growth provides nesting places for a wide variety of birds.
several days' growth of beard