When I grow up, I want to be a king.
Source: tatoeba (1337)
Grow
/ɡɹoʊ/
Synonyms for "grow" (387 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (78)
Verb(20 words)
Noun(23 words)
abundance increaseaccreting shoreaccruingaccumulatingactualizingadd upadvancesappreciatingascending countbubbles risebudsbuildbuildingbulgesbulkbulk of samplesbulk upbulksburgeonscause increase
Show 3 more words
Adjective(3 words)
Strong matches (116)
Noun(41 words)
count upcreepingcrop farmingculture unawareculture valuesculturesculturingcurrent trenddevelop language skillsdeveloped civilizationdeveloped culturesdeveloped language skillsdeveloping projectdevelopment programdisease spreadengagement riseevolvingexcitement buildsfarmsflourishes
Show 21 more words
flourishingflowering plant life cyclefranchisefranchise broadeninggaininggainsgarden relatedgardening practicegardensgettinghomesteadinghoneysuckleshorticulture practiceicelandic rísaincrease economic valueincrease in potential energyincrease in priceincrease painincreased englishincreasingincrementing
Verb(35 words)
cultivatecultivatescultivating cropsdeepeneddevelop a skilldevelop speaking skillsdevelopeddevelopingdeveloping number sensedeveloping skillelongate filamentenlargeescalateevolves gasexpandexpandsfarmfattenedfledgedflourished
Adjective(1 words)
Related words (193)
Noun(67 words)
incubatingjourneykweeklearn verbmaizesmaturingmore developedmore emergingmultiplyingmushroomingneighborhood gardenold french encreistreplant developmentplanted like protistplantsprivately developedproduced byprogress over timeprosperingpsychopsis
Show 47 more words
rise in influencerise in pricesrise in revenuerise of civilizationrise of civilizationsrise of modern civilizationrise of modern sciencerise of multicellularityrisen in statusrisesrises of civilizationrisingrising of civilizationrootstalkroserudeness risesales jumpsalsifyscale termscalingscaling conceptself aware beingshoalingshootsspreadingsproutingsproutsspurringstate change verbsuckeringsurgesswardsswellestswellingswellstechnology adoption turning pointthriving nonagricultural ecosystemtrendtuftsturbinateupsurgeupsurgesuptickupturnupturnswaxeswaxing
Adjective(8 words)
industrial risejuvenile stagemature culturemature plantmature studentocellatedrising demandunforced bloom
Verb(26 words)
intensifiesluxuriatesmaturatematuresnurtureoriginateproduceprogressingscale upsoarspring upstrengthenswelledteethedthrivesturnturnedupriseurbanizevegetated
Show 6 more words
intensifyissuekeepleafleaf outleaveleave the nestlengthenluxuriatemachinematuratematuremellowmillminemountmultiplymushroomnursenurture
Show 71 more words
originateoutgrowoverdevelopovergrowoverrunovertopplantprocessprocreateproduceprogressproliferatepropagateprosperpullulatepumpput forthput forth leavesput out budsraiseranchreach manhoodreach twenty-onereach voting agerearrefinereproduceriotriperipenriserise uprootrunrun upseasonsendsettle downsharecropshootshoot upsmeltsnowballsowspreadspringspring upsproutsprout upstemstrengthenstrike rootswelltake roottempertendthickenthrivetoga virilistowerturnturn intoupgrowupriseupshootupspearupspringupsproutvegetatewaxwiden
Determiner(1 words)
most compound
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: develop, mature, raise, rise, abundance increase.
- develop: 'Develop' implies growth through stages, it's structured progression, like a child developing skills or a plan developing detail.
- Sentence evidence is available for grow, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "grow".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "grow"
Keep "grow" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "grow" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "grow", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "grow" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
How these synonyms differ
- develop - 'Develop' implies growth through stages, it's structured progression, like a child developing skills or a plan developing detail.
- expand - 'Expand' implies growth in size or scope, often deliberately, a business expands, a vocabulary expands. It's growth by choice, not nature.
- flourish - 'Flourish' is growth at its most vigorous and visible, thriving with vitality. A flourishing garden, a flourishing career.
- mature - 'Mature' is growth toward completion or full capability, it implies not just getting bigger but becoming wiser, deeper, or more refined.
- thrive - 'Thrive' means growing with health and energy, it suggests favorable conditions and a positive trajectory, not just survival but abundance.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
12 entriesMore specific
10 entriesCollocations
6 entriesgrowth chartgrowth potentialgrowth rategrowth spurtsrapid growthsteady growth
Inflections
4 entriesDerivations
5 entriessimilar
5 entriesSample sentences
26 total sentences available.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Source: tatoeba (15915)
You must not smoke till you grow up.
Source: tatoeba (17633)
Money does not grow on trees.
Source: tatoeba (18574)
Showing 4 of 26 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "grow"?
Closest matches include develop, mature, raise, rise, abundance increase.
How is "develop" different from "grow"?
'Develop' implies growth through stages, it's structured progression, like a child developing skills or a plan developing detail.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "grow"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.