grow

verb

1 increase

ADVERB

▪ fast, quickly, rapidly

▪ considerably, dramatically, significantly, substantially

▪ slowly

▪ slightly

▪ exponentially

▪

The business has grown exponentially over the past ten years.

▪

Well before a billionth of a second had elapsed the universe started to grow exponentially.

▪ steadily

▪ constantly, continuously

VERB + GROW

▪ seem to

▪ begin to, start to

▪ continue to

▪ be expected to

PREPOSITION

▪ at

▪

The Chinese economy has grown at a record pace.

▪ by

▪

Profits are expected to grow by 10% next year.

▪ from

▪

Her media empire grew from small beginnings.

▪ in

▪

She continued to grow in confidence

▪ into

▪

The town grew into a city.

2 of a person, animal, etc.

ADVERB

▪ fast, quickly, rapidly

▪ slowly

▪ normally

PREPOSITION

▪ into

▪

The small puppy quickly grew into a very large dog.

▪ to

▪

to grow to maturity

3 of plants, hair, etc.

ADVERB

▪ well

▪

Tomatoes grow best in direct sunlight.

▪ poorly

▪ fast, quickly, rapidly

▪ slowly

▪ slightly

▪ thickly, vigorously

▪

the nettles that grew thickly around the house

▪ outwards/outward, upwards/upward

▪

As the island subsided, the reef grew upward and outward.

VERB + GROW

▪ allow sth to, let sth

▪

I want to let my hair grow.

PREPOSITION

▪ from

▪

The tree grew from a small acorn.

▪ into

▪

Small acorns grow into great oak trees.

▪ to

▪

These plants can grow to a height of six feet.

PHRASES

▪ grow unchecked

▪

A rose had been allowed to grow unchecked up one of the walls.

4 make plants grow

ADVERB

▪ organically

▪

organically grown produce

▪ commercially

▪ locally

▪ successfully

VERB + GROW

▪ be easy to

▪

a plant which is easy to grow

PHRASES

▪ grow sth from seed

Grow is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑anger, ↑anxiety, ↑appetite, ↑applause, ↑asset, ↑baby, ↑barley, ↑base, ↑beard, ↑bud, ↑bulb, ↑bush, ↑business, ↑cell, ↑child, ↑city, ↑collection, ↑company, ↑confidence, ↑consumption, ↑corn, ↑crop, ↑crowd, ↑crystal, ↑curiosity, ↑deficit, ↑demand, ↑discomfort, ↑discontent, ↑dividend, ↑economy, ↑empire, ↑employment, ↑enrolment, ↑enterprise, ↑enthusiasm, ↑evidence, ↑excitement, ↑expectation, ↑expenditure, ↑export, ↑expression, ↑face, ↑fame, ↑farm, ↑fear, ↑fingernail, ↑firm, ↑flame, ↑friendship, ↑fruit, ↑fury, ↑gap, ↑grass, ↑grin, ↑hair, ↑heat, ↑hope, ↑hunger, ↑idea, ↑impatience, ↑import, ↑income, ↑industry, ↑influence, ↑interest, ↑irritation, ↑ivy, ↑leaf, ↑likelihood, ↑list, ↑love, ↑lump, ↑market, ↑mood, ↑mould, ↑movement, ↑nail, ↑nettle, ↑number, ↑oats, ↑panic, ↑percentage, ↑plant, ↑popularity, ↑population, ↑productivity, ↑profit, ↑proportion, ↑queue, ↑rage, ↑rate, ↑reputation, ↑resentment, ↑revenue, ↑rift, ↑rivalry, ↑root, ↑sale, ↑saving, ↑seed, ↑shoot, ↑shrub, ↑silence, ↑size, ↑smile, ↑smirk, ↑species, ↑speculation, ↑stature, ↑strength, ↑suburb, ↑support, ↑suspicion, ↑tea, ↑tension, ↑town, ↑trade, ↑traffic, ↑tree, ↑trend, ↑turnover, ↑unease, ↑usage, ↑vegetables, ↑vegetation, ↑volume, ↑weed, ↑wheat, ↑width

Grow is used with these nouns as the object: ↑barley, ↑bean, ↑beard, ↑bulb, ↑business, ↑cannabis, ↑cell, ↑coconut, ↑company, ↑corn, ↑cotton, ↑crop, ↑economy, ↑feather, ↑food, ↑garden, ↑grain, ↑grape, ↑hair, ↑herb, ↑leaf, ↑lettuce, ↑moustache, ↑mushroom, ↑nail, ↑oats, ↑onion, ↑pea, ↑per cent, ↑plant, ↑potato, ↑produce, ↑rice, ↑root, ↑shrub, ↑spine, ↑tea, ↑tobacco, ↑tomato, ↑tree, ↑variety, ↑vegetables, ↑wheat, ↑wing