Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - grow

 verb  (grew; ~n; ~ing)  Etymology: Middle English, from Old English growan; akin to Old High German gruowan to ~  Date: before 12th century  intransitive verb  1.  a. to spring up and develop to maturity  b. to be able to ~ in some place or situation trees that ~ in the tropics  c. to assume some relation through or as if through a process of natural ~th ferns ~ing from the rocks  2.  a. to increase in size by assimilation of material into the living organism or by accretion of material in a nonbiological process (as crystallization)  b. increase, expand ~s in wisdom  3. to develop from a parent source the book grew out of a series of lectures  4.  a. to pass into a condition ; become grew pale  b. to have an increasing influence habit ~s on a person  c. to become increasingly acceptable or attractive didn't like it at first, but it grew on him  transitive verb  1.  a. to cause to ~ ~ wheat  b. to let ~ on the body grew a beard  2. to promote the development of start a business and ~ it successfully — J. L. Deckter  • ~er noun  • ~ingly adverb