grow

S1 W1

BrE /ɡrəʊ/ AmE /ɡroʊ/

verb en → es

past grew pp grown ing growing

1 INCREASE IN SIZE/NUMBER [intransitive, T + obj] A1

to become larger or to increase in size, number, etc.

crecer, aumentar

  • grow bigger/larger
  • grow by a certain amount

Collocations grow in popularity · grow the business

  • The population of the city is growing rapidly.

    La población de la ciudad está creciendo rápidamente.

2 PLANTS [intransitive] A1

to develop and become bigger as plants do

crecer, desarrollarse

  • grow from a seed

Collocations grow vegetables · grow flowers

  • We grow tomatoes in our garden.

    Cultivamos tomates en nuestro jardín.

3 DEVELOP [intransitive, T + obj] B1

to develop or to cause something to develop over time

desarrollarse, hacer crecer

  • grow into a certain role/personality
  • grow a beard

Collocations grow up · grow old

  • She grew into a confident young woman.

    Ella se desarrolló en una joven confiada.

4 CULTIVATE [transitive] B1

to cultivate or to raise plants, animals, etc., for food or other purposes

cultivar, criar

  • grow crops/animals

Collocations grow rice · grow chickens

  • Farmers grow wheat in this region.

    Los agricultores cultivan trigo en esta región.

5 APPEAR [intransitive] B1

to appear or to start to exist

aparecer, surgir

  • grow from a certain situation

Collocations grow out of a problem · grow into a habit

  • A friendship grew between them.

    Una amistad surgió entre ellos.

6 CHANGE [intransitive, T + obj] B2

to change or to cause something to change in a particular way over time

cambiar, transformarse

  • grow into/out of a certain state

Collocations grow out of childhood · grow into adulthood

  • He grew out of his rebellious phase.

    Él creció y dejó atrás su etapa rebelde.

7 INFLUENCE [transitive] B2

to influence or to cause something to be influenced in a particular way over time

influir, moldear

  • grow into/out of a certain state

Collocations grow someone's confidence · grow the community spirit

  • Her experiences grew her interest in history.

    Sus experiencias moldearon su interés por la historia.

8 ECONOMY [intransitive, T + obj] C1

to increase or to cause something to increase economically

crecer económicamente, aumentar

  • grow the economy/business

Collocations grow GDP · grow exports

  • The country is growing its economy at a steady rate.

    El país está creciendo su economía a un ritmo constante.

Phrasal verbs

grow up MATURE A2

crescer, madurar

  • She grew up in a small town.

    Ella creció en una pequeña ciudad.

grow apart DISTANCE B1

distanciarse, alejarse

  • The friends grew apart after college.

    Los amigos se distanciaron después de la universidad.

grow into DEVELOP B1

desarrollarse en, crecer para ser

  • He grew into a successful businessman.

    Él se desarrolló como un exitoso empresario.

grow out of CHANGE B1

dejar de lado, superar

  • She grew out of her childish behavior.

    Ella dejó atrás su comportamiento infantil.

grow on someone LIKE MORE B2

gustar más con el tiempo, agradar gradualmente

  • The music grew on me over time.

    La música me fue gustando más con el tiempo.

Idioms

grow old gracefully B2

envejecer con elegancia, madurar bien

  • She grew old gracefully and remained active.

    Ella envejeció con elegancia y se mantuvo activa.

grow like a weed B2

crecer como la hierba, crecer rápidamente

  • The business grew like a weed.

    El negocio creció como la hierba.

grow apart from someone B2

distanciarse de alguien, alejarse de alguien

  • They grew apart after high school.

    Se distanciaron después del instituto.