outgrow

verb

out·​grow ˌau̇t-ˈgrō 

outgrew ˌau̇t-ˈgrü  ; outgrown ˌau̇t-ˈgrōn  ; outgrowing

transitive verb

1

: to grow or increase faster than

mankind is outgrowing food supplies

—R. C. Murphy

2

: to grow too large or too mature for

outgrew his best suit

the need to outgrow the habit of war

—Norman Cousins

Examples of outgrow in a Sentence

Kids outgrow their clothes so quickly.

The plant has outgrown my garden.

Our business is outgrowing its small office building.

She's outgrown most of her toys.

I realized that I had outgrown my old high school friends.

Recent Examples on the Web

In fact, growing these plants in overly rich soil or fertilizing too often can cause their stems to outgrow their roots and make the plants unwieldy. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Dec. 2024

The beloved comedy, also starring Zooey Deschanel, Bob Newhart and James Caan, tells the story of a human, raised by elves, who eventually outgrows the North Pole. —Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 19 Dec. 2024

Trump’s policies also position Tesla better with its lower EV cost structure relative to peers and leaves the company well-positioned to outgrow global LVP electric vehicles — or cars that use a lithium vanadium phosphate battery — with its more profitable EV plans, Rakesh said. —Pia Singh, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2024

But last year, her gatherings outgrew The Spaceship; in June 2023, Alissia expanded the series into an exclusive party called Boogie Nights, with its first edition launching at New York’s Virgin Hotel. —Heran Mamo, Billboard, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

outgrow

verb

out·​grow (ˈ)au̇t-ˈgrō 

outgrew -ˈgrü  ; outgrown -ˈgrōn  ; outgrowing

1

: to grow faster than

2

: to grow too large or too mature for

outgrew their clothes

outgrow playing with dolls