What does grew mean?
Grew is the simple past tense of grow and is used to describe an increase in size, amount, degree, or development. It can refer to physical growth, as when a plant or child grew, or to broader development, as when a business, movement, or reputation grew. The verb also has figurative uses: a person can grow into a role, a story can grow more complicated, or an organization can grow in influence. The change is understood as occurring over time, so grew often implies a contrast with an earlier, smaller, less mature, or less developed state. The form is irregular in standard English: grow becomes grew in the past tense and grown in the past participle. Although grew is widely used in everyday speech and formal writing alike, it should not be combined with forms such as has or had in constructions like "has grew."
verb (past tense of grow)Grew is the past tense of grow, meaning to become larger, increase in quantity or degree, develop, or mature.
- became larger or increased in size, quantity, or degree
- developed or matured, especially as a person, organization, or thing
- came to be or turned into a particular kind of person or thing
"The garden grew quickly after the first spring rains."
"The young trees grew steadily over the summer."
"She grew into a respected researcher during her career."
In standard English, grow’s past tense is grew, an irregular form rather than a regular -ed ending.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does grew come from?
Grew comes from the English verb grow, which is inherited from Old English growan, meaning to sprout, develop, or increase. The modern past tense grew developed through Middle English usage and follows an irregular Germanic pattern rather than the regular -ed formation. Related forms include growth, grower, outgrow, and undergrowth; Dutch groeien is also a close cognate.
How grew is actually used
Grew is standard in formal and informal contexts. When used with a present perfect auxiliary, use "has grown" rather than the nonstandard "has grew."