English Reference
adjective · verb

grown

adj. · v.
US /ˈɡɹoʊn/ UK /ɡɹˈəʊn/ grown

  1. 01 A2 Elementary

    adj.fully developed and no longer a child.

    adj.having reached the stage of full physical or mental maturity; adult.

    Simple

    Now that her children are all grown, she has more time for her hobbies.

    In context

    It is often difficult for parents to accept that their children are now grown and capable of making their own life decisions.

    adultmaturefull grown
  2. 02 A2 Elementary

    v.the form of 'grow' used after 'have' or 'has'.

    v.the past participle of 'grow', used in perfect tenses and passive constructions.

    Simple

    The city has grown a lot since I last visited ten years ago.

    In context

    The company has grown into a global enterprise, expanding its operations across four continents within a single decade.

    Pitfall
    The plant has grew very tall. The plant has grown very tall.

    Use 'grown' after the helping verb 'has' or 'have', not 'grew'.

  3. 03 B2 Upper Intermediate Literary

    adj.covered with plants or weeds that have been left to grow.

    adj.covered with a thick or excessive growth of vegetation; often used in the compound 'overgrown'.

    Simple

    The old garden was grown with tall grass and wild flowers.

    In context

    The path to the abandoned cottage was entirely grown over with brambles, making it nearly impossible to find without a map.

Usage grown since · grown increasingly frustrated


From Middle English growen. Morphologically grow + -n.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Middle English growen
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Common
Updated