# overgrown

/ˌoʊvɝˈɡɹoʊn/ (US) · /ˌəʊvəɡɹˈəʊn/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/overgrown
Updated: 2026-05-08

## Definition

covered with too many plants or weeds because nobody has looked after it. You use this to describe a garden or building that looks wild and messy.

For teachers: covered with plants or weeds that have grown in an uncontrolled way. Often used to describe neglected land or structures; functions as a participial adjective.

## Examples

- The old garden is completely overgrown with weeds.
- The path to the abandoned cottage was so overgrown that we had to push through thick bushes to reach the door.
- Decades of neglect had left the estate's formal gardens entirely overgrown, with ivy strangling the stone statues and wild grass obscuring the original gravel walkways.

## Usage notes

- Typically used as a predicative adjective after 'is' or 'has become', or as an attributive adjective before a noun.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.