What does grower mean?
A grower is, most commonly, a person or business that raises crops such as fruit, vegetables, tobacco, or coffee. The word can also refer to a plant or crop selected for the way it grows and, especially in Australian wine contexts, to a named grape variety. A further, figurative use describes someone whose abilities or career are developing, often with an implication of promising improvement. “Grower” is straightforward and broadly neutral in agricultural speech, though it may sound traditional or distinctly occupational when contrasted with more general terms such as producer. In phrases such as grower's market, it identifies the person who grows or cultivates the produce. Because it comes directly from grow, “grower” neatly expresses the agent or result of growth, but its meaning depends heavily on context: the same word can identify a farmer, a plant, or a grape variety. It is especially useful when discussing the people and cultivated varieties behind agricultural production.
nounA person or organization that cultivates crops, especially fruit, vegetables, tobacco, or coffee. It can also denote a cultivated plant, a named grape variety, or, figuratively, someone developing in skill or career.
- A person or organization that grows or cultivates crops, especially fruit, vegetables, tobacco, coffee, or other agricultural products.
- A plant or crop cultivated for a particular product or for its manner of growth.
- A named variety of grape, especially in Australian wine contexts.
- A person whose abilities, experience, or career are developing, especially a promising young performer or athlete.
"The olive growers sell their harvest to local cooperatives and restaurants."
"The olive growers sell their harvest to local cooperatives and restaurants."
"He was one of the club's promising growers, and coaches expected his skill to improve quickly."
The standard plural adds -s and refers collectively or to multiple people or organizations that grow or cultivate crops.
"Local growers sold strawberries, peaches, and other seasonal produce at the market."
From coffee farmers to vineyard varieties, one little word turns the act of growing into a trade, a plant, or even a name associated with wine.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does grower come from?
“Grower” is an English word formed from grow and the agentive suffix -er, meaning “one who or that grows.” The verb grow continues Old English growan, inherited from Proto-Germanic and ultimately connected with a Proto-Indo-European root associated with growth. Words such as growth and grown are parallel English derivatives of the same inherited verb.
Related word forms
How grower is actually used
The occupational sense is standard and broadly neutral in British and American English. The grape-variety sense is especially associated with Australian usage, while the developmental sense is figurative and relatively uncommon.
Easily confused with grower
A grower raises or cultivates something, whereas a glower is someone who glares or an object that emits a steady light.