Outgrew

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /aʊtˈɡɹuː/

Definitions

1. Became too big or mature to fit in or use something before ; advanced past a previous phase in growth, behavior, or preference
2. Grew to no longer suit an item or environment ; surpassed an earlier condition or characteristic
3. Increased in size so that something no longer fits ; evolved beyond a prior level or limitation

Etymology: "Outgrew" is the simple past of "outgrow," so it simply describes the action of growing past something in the past tense. "Outgrow" is formed from "out-" and "grow." The prefix descends from Proto-Germanic "ūt," which carried the sense of "outward" or "away from within," and reached English as "ūt" in Old English and "ut" in Middle English before settling into the modern "out." Combined with "grow," the verb took on its figurative sense of expanding beyond a limit, whether a child outgrowing clothes or a person outgrowing a habit.

Synonyms: outgrew, advanced, expanded, matured, developed

Antonyms: shrunk, diminished, regressed, stagnated, declined