growing

American  

[groh-ing] / ˈgroʊ ɪŋ /

adjective

1. becoming greater in quantity, size, extent, or intensity.

   growing discontent among industrial workers.

2. having or showing life.

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Other Word Forms

• growingly adverb
• ungrowing adjective

Etymology

Origin of growing

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English growende. See grow, -ing ²

Explanation

A growing thing (or person) is in the process of developing, often by getting bigger. You can argue for a second helping of cake by saying, "I'm a growing kid!" Your puppy is a growing animal, changing and developing into an adult dog, and your cactus is a growing plant, even if the only evidence of that growth is one pink bloom each year. You can also use this adjective for things that increase, like your growing bank account or your growing interest in woodworking. As a noun, growing means the biological process of change and development itself: "Growing isn't always easy, but we all have to do it."

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, rising productivity per worker has allowed the economy to keep growing with relatively less labor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

The study adds to growing evidence that the so-called Neolithic decline affected large parts of northern and western Europe, extending beyond Scandinavia and northern Germany.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026

The market was growing fast, leverage was opaque and connections back to the regulated banks were harder to see.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

“I’m biracial and growing up in Boston, I’m just Black,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Huge red oaks, white oaks, maple, locust, and elm trees were growing here and there on the lawn.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Related Words

• burgeoning
• developing
• expanding
• flourishing
• spreading
• thriving
• viable