grow out of
InseparableThe verb and particle never split. The object always follows the whole phrase.
How to say it
Main stress lands on the first particle: grow OUT of. The trailing “of” reduces almost to nothing — expect a schwa, not a full vowel.
A glide appears. Two vowels meet, so American English slips a /w/ between them: “grow out” → “grow-wout”. You do not insert it deliberately — it falls out of not stopping between the words.
2 meanings
- 1
To become too big for clothes.
- “The little girl grew out of her clothes very quickly.”
- “He's grown out of every pair of shoes we bought this year.”
Similar: outgrow
- 2
To stop doing something as you get older.
- “Most children grow out of that phase by ten.”
Similar: outgrow