outgrew

The child outgrew his favorite pair of shoes.

Definition

1. Verb (past tense of ):
   • To become too large or mature for something: "outgrew" means to grow too big for something (such as clothing, a habit, or a situation) as a result of physical growth or personal development.
   • To grow faster or larger than: "outgrew" can also mean to surpass someone or something in size, height, or development.

Usage Examples

• Physical growth:

  • He outgrew his winter coat after just one year. (He became too large for the coat.)
  • The puppy quickly outgrew its small bed. (The puppy became too big for the bed.)

• Personal development:

  • She outgrew her childhood fear of the dark. (She matured and no longer had that fear.)
  • They outgrew their old friendships as they entered college. (They developed beyond the social needs of those relationships.)

Advanced Usage

• "to outgrow one's environment": to develop beyond the limitations of one's current surroundings.

  • The brilliant student outgrew the small-town school and moved to a city. (The student's abilities exceeded what the local school could offer.)

• "to outgrow a phase": to stop behaving in a particular way as one matures.

  • Most children outgrow their tantrums by age five. (They stop having tantrums as they get older.)

Variants and Related Words

• Outgrow (verb, present tense): to become too large or mature for something.

  • Children often outgrow their shoes quickly. (They become too big for the shoes.)

• Outgrown (past participle): having become too large or mature for something.

  • She has outgrown her interest in video games. (She no longer finds them appealing.)

• Outgrowth (noun): something that develops as a result of something else.

  • The new policy was an outgrowth of recent complaints. (The policy resulted from the complaints.)

Synonyms

• Surpass: to exceed or go beyond in size or development.

  • He surpassed his older brother in height. (He grew taller than his brother.)

• Mature beyond: to develop past a certain stage.

  • She matured beyond her peers in emotional intelligence. (She became more emotionally mature than others.)

Phrasal Verbs

Related Idioms

• Grow out of: to become too big or mature for something.

  • He grew out of his shyness by high school. (He became less shy as he matured.)

• Outgrow one's shell: to overcome shyness or social limitations.

  • She outgrew her shell and became a confident speaker. (She overcame her shyness.)