What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Adult vs Grow - What's the difference?

adult | grow |

As verbs the difference between adult and grow

is that adult is to (cause to) be or become an adult while grow is to become bigger.

As a noun adult

is a fully grown human or animal.

As an adjective adult

is fully grown.

adult

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A fully grown human or animal.
  • Derived terms

    * (l) * (l)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Fully grown.
  • an adult human, animal, or plant
  • Intended for or restricted to adults rather than children.
  • adult clothes
  • Containing material of an explicit sexual nature
  • adult content
    an adult movie

    Synonyms

    * (fully grown) big, fully grown, grown up * (unsuitable for children) blue, dirty, lewd, obscene

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To (cause to) be or become an .
  • * 1974 , Occasional Papers (Syracuse University), issues 42-46, page 5:
  • Womanhood was achieved at twenty-one, when the female was "adulted "; manhood was fully achieved at twenty-five,
  • * 2013 , Kelly Williams Brown, Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps
  • * 2013 , Ewa Rewers, The Contradictions of Urban Art (ISBN 364390374X), page 84:
  • The process of adulting children,
  • * (seemoreCites)
  • grow

    English

    Verb

  • (ergative) To become bigger.
  • Children grow quickly.
  • To appear or sprout.
  • Flowers grew on the trees as summer approached.
    A long tail began to grow from his backside.
  • To cause or allow something to become bigger, especially to cultivate plants.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=March 01 , author=Peter Roff , title=Another Foolish Move By Congress , work=Fox News citation , passage=The Bush administration – which sought to grow the number of fisheries managed under a program known as “catch shares”... }}
    He grows peppers and squash each summer in his garden.
    Have you ever grown your hair before?
  • (copulative) To assume a condition or quality over time.
  • The boy grew wise as he matured.
    The town grew smaller and smaller in the distance as we travelled.
    You have grown strong.
  • (obsolete) To become attached or fixed; to adhere.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Our knees shall kneel till to the ground they grow .

    Usage notes

    * Growed is a slang or dialect inflection for the simple past and past participle.

    Antonyms

    * shrink

    Derived terms

    * grow a pair * growed * grower * grow house * growing pains * growing point * grown-up * grow on * grow op * grow out of * growth * grow up * outgrow * overgrow