Outgrow

Outgrow

Verb · /ˌaʊtˈɡrəʊ/

Definition

To grow too large for something; to grow beyond the capacity, size, or suitability of something; to leave behind as one develops — to outgrow a stage, a phase, a relationship, or a need; to grow faster than something else.

Origin

From out- (surpassing, beyond) + grow (Old English growan, to grow, from Proto-Germanic *grōaną). The out- prefix in its surpassing sense — as in outrun, outperform, outlast, outdo — indicating growth beyond a limit or beyond something else. Outgrow appearing from the sixteenth century. The literal sense (a child outgrowing clothes) and the figurative sense (outgrowing a phase, a friendship, a belief) both being well-established from early use. The figurative sense particularly rich in English — the idea that personal, intellectual, and emotional development can cause a person to leave behind things that once fitted but no longer do.