What does "growth" mean?
An increase in size, number, value, or strength.
Growth
/ɡɹoʊθ/ noun
noun ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An increase in size, number, value, or strength.
- Grammar: growth is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: development, maturation, about face, about-face.
- Useful contrasts: chronic stasis, diluted tenfold, downward trend.
- Usage evidence: Fair competition is necessary for the healthy growth of industry.
How to use "growth"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "growth" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "growth" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "growth" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "growth" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "growth" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "development" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "growth", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An increase in size, number, value, or strength. countable, uncountable
"It may be that a free society as we have known it carries in itself the forces of its own destruction, that once freedom has been achieved it is taken for granted and ceases to be valued, and that the free growth of ideas which is the essence of a free society will bring about the destruction of the foundations on which it depends."
- 2 the gradual beginning or coming forth wordnet
- 3 Ellipsis of economic growth. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
"Growth was dampened by a softening of the global economy in 2001, but picked up in the subsequent years due to strong growth in China."
- 4 vegetation that has grown wordnet
- 5 An increase in psychological strength or resilience; an increased ability to overcome adversity. countable, uncountable
"Struggle, disappointment, and criticism all contribute to a person's growth."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 something grown or growing wordnet
- 7 The act of growing, getting bigger or higher. countable, uncountable
- 8 (biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level wordnet
- 9 Something that grows or has grown. countable, uncountable
"Scary-looking rabbits were hopping around Fort Collins. These weren’t your standard cute, fluffy bunnies; they had horn-like growths protruding from their faces and bodies."
- 10 a progression from simpler to more complex forms wordnet
- 11 An abnormal mass such as a tumor. countable, uncountable
- 12 a process of becoming larger or longer or more numerous or more important wordnet
- 13 (pathology) an abnormal proliferation of tissue (as in a tumor) wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
chronic stasisdiluted tenfolddownward trenddwindling resources
Example
"Fair competition is necessary for the healthy growth of industry."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "growth"?
Common synonyms include: development, maturation, about face, about-face, abscess, abundance increase.
How do you use "growth" in a sentence?
Fair competition is necessary for the healthy growth of industry.
How do you pronounce "growth"?
Pronounced /ɡɹoʊθ/.
Etymology
From grow + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Compare Old Frisian grēd ("meadow, pasture"; > North Frisian greyde (“growth, pasture”)), Middle High German gruote, gruot (“greens, fresh growth, shoot”), Old Norse gróðr ("growth, crop"; > Faroese grøði, Danish grøde (“fruits”), Swedish gröda (“crop, harvest”)). More at grow.