Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To grow too large for.
  • transitive verb To lose or discard in the course of maturation.
  • transitive verb To surpass in growth.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To surpass in growth; grow beyond; grow taller than.
  • To grow beyond the limits of; become too large for: said of what covers or incloses: as, children outgrow their clothes.
  • To exhaust by too rapid growth.
  • To pass beyond the limits of; leave behind or lose in the process of growth or development: as, to outgrow one's usefulness.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To surpass in growing; to grow more than.
  • transitive verb To grow out of or away from; to grow too large, or too aged, for

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To become too big or mature for some purpose.
  • verb transitive To leave some object, habit, belief ... behind, no longer need or use it, as one grows.
  • verb transitive To grow faster or taller than something or someone else.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb grow too large or too mature for
  • verb grow faster than

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

out- +‎ grow

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word outgrow.

Examples

  • Some children can "outgrow" wheezing and coughing; they may not have asthma to begin with.

    Asthma FAQs 2010

  • He suggests only that in time, we will become so weary of our punitive politics that the system will, out of necessity, "outgrow" or "outlive" its current fractiousness.

    Fight Club 2010

  • They're not disease resistant, but they tend to "outgrow" a lot of disease.

    Garden Update: Sigh......... 2008

  • But most importantly, don't dismiss your symptoms or wait to "outgrow" whatever is bothering you.

    A Deceptive Disease 2008

  • Another challenge: children can "outgrow" a drug's benefits.

    FINDING WHAT WORKS 2007

  • If one can be said to "outgrow" indie, as well as rock in general, it's less because of the musicians 'youthful lyrical concerns (at least in my case) than their failure to keep pace with the listener's expanding rhythm tastes.

    Left Behind: Black Music by White Musicians 2007

  • Another challenge: children can "outgrow" a drug's benefits.

    Finding What Works 2007

  • Each generation has been confident that within another few decades, or possibly a bit longer, humans will 'outgrow' belief in the supernatural.

    Oh, Gods! 2002

  • Each generation has been confident that within another few decades, or possibly a bit longer, humans will 'outgrow' belief in the supernatural.

    Oh, Gods! 2002

  • My real feeling is that the Center is going to develop people of these skills and qualifications and attributes and after awhile, they are going to, in a way, they're going to kind of outgrow the Center.

    Oral History Interview with Walt Ulmer, November 20, 1998. Interview S-0034. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) 1998

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.