outgrow
verb
out·grow
ˌau̇t-ˈgrō 
outgrew
ˌau̇t-ˈgrü
; outgrown
ˌau̇t-ˈgrōn
; outgrowing
; outgrown
ˌau̇t-ˈgrōn
; outgrowing
1
: to grow or increase faster than
mankind is outgrowing food supplies—
R. C. Murphy
R. C. Murphy2
: to grow too large or too mature for
outgrew his best suit
the need to outgrow the habit of war—Norman Cousins
Norman CousinsExamples 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
As was quite common at the time, college leadership was proposing capital expenditure to add storage space to the library because the collections had outgrown the building’s footprint.
—Sara Ivry, JSTOR Daily, 4 June 2025
Resenting Anne’s condition, Louisa displays a child’s reaction to a parent’s weakness, a dynamic both parties, in regular circumstances, might outgrow.
—Sam Worley, Vulture, 2 June 2025
Gauguin never outgrew the juvenile urge to scorn, shock, or just prank the elders.
—Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025
The upgrade was necessary because the museum was outgrowing its premises.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for outgrow
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sara Ivry, JSTOR Daily, 4 June 2025
Resenting Anne’s condition, Louisa displays a child’s reaction to a parent’s weakness, a dynamic both parties, in regular circumstances, might outgrow.
—Sam Worley, Vulture, 2 June 2025
Gauguin never outgrew the juvenile urge to scorn, shock, or just prank the elders.
—Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025
The upgrade was necessary because the museum was outgrowing its premises.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for outgrow
Cite this Entry
“Outgrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outgrow. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
outgrow
verb
out·grow
(ˈ)au̇t-ˈgrō
1
: to grow faster than
2
: to grow too large or too mature for
outgrew their clothes
outgrow playing with dolls
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share