Growth Meaning
/ɡɹoʊθ/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn increase in size, number, value, or strength.
nounEllipsis of economic growth.
Sentence Examples
Fair competition is necessary for the healthy growth of industry.
More money for education will spur economic growth.
Lack of water will stunt the plant's growth.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor said the child's ____ was slow because she did not eat healthy food.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The economist predicted a period of rapid economic ____ as the new trade agreement began to take effect.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 1949, F. A. Hayek, “The Intellectuals and Socialism”, in University of Chicago Law Review, volume 16, number 3, Chicago: University of Chicago, →DOI, pages 431-432:
"Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers.[…]Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more than promising colossal bonuses to sitting chief executives if they meet ambitious growth targets. That model is still prevalent today."
— 2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 70:
"Liz Truss has promised Britons she has “got your back” and set out a plan for “growth, growth and growth” in a conference speech disrupted by protesters asking who voted for her plan."
— 2022 October 5, Rowena Mason, quoting Liz Truss, “Liz Truss promises ‘growth, growth and growth’ in protest-hit speech”, in The Guardian:
"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."
— 2025 August 14, Angela Haupt, “What to Know About the Horned ‘Zombie’ Rabbits Hopping Around Colorado”, in TIME:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor said the child's ____ was slow because she did not eat healthy food.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The economist predicted a period of rapid economic ____ as the new trade agreement began to take effect.