overgrow

overgrow — verb

  • overgrowpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • overgrows3rd person singular
  • overgrowing-ing form
  • overgrewpast simple
  • overgrownpast participle

1. if plants overgrow a place or thing, they spread across it and cover it, often h

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

if plants overgrow a place or thing, they spread across it and cover it, often hiding what is underneath.

例句

Thick ivy had overgrown the back wall of Anong's old cottage.

subject = plant; object = surface being covered

Weeds and brambles had overgrown the gravel paths in the abandoned park.

plural plant subjects + paved object

同義詞
  • cover

    general; doesn't imply plant agent

  • blanket

    literary; emphasises a complete covering layer

  • engulf

    stronger; suggests swallowing up

反義詞
  • clear

    remove the covering growth

文法句型

[plants] overgrow [object/surface]

用法筆記

Subject is almost always a plant or fungus; object is a surface, building, or path being hidden under growth. Distinguish from sense 2, which has no agent — the place itself becomes covered.

常見錯誤

❌The garden overgrew the fence.
✅Ivy overgrew the fence.
💡the subject must be the plant doing the covering, not the place where it grows.

2. if a place overgrows, it gets filled with wild plants because no one has cut the

2.動詞不及物C1
釋義

if a place overgrows, it gets filled with wild plants because no one has cut them back or taken care of it.

例句

The vegetable patch had overgrown in just two months while Tamás was away in Budapest.

intransitive; place as subject; neglect implied by time phrase

After the owners left, the front lawn quickly overgrew with dandelions and crabgrass.

intransitive + 'with [plant species]'

同義詞
  • run wild

    informal; same meaning of unchecked growth

  • go to seed

    informal; emphasises decline through neglect

反義詞

文法句型

[place] becomes overgrown

[place] is overgrown with [plants]

用法筆記

Most often used in the past participle 'overgrown' as an adjective (an overgrown garden). Distinguish from sense 1: here no plant is named as agent — the place itself is the subject of the change.

常見錯誤

❌My uncle overgrew the yard.
✅My uncle let the yard overgrow.
💡a person doesn't overgrow a place; the place overgrows on its own through neglect.

3. to grow taller than or extend beyond something else — for example, a hedge that

3.動詞及物C1
釋義

to grow taller than or extend beyond something else — for example, a hedge that has stretched up past the wall behind it.

例句

The bamboo had overgrown the garden fence by nearly a metre.

transitive: subject A surpasses object B by measurement

Sunflowers in Eleni's backyard overgrew the kitchen window in a single season.

同義詞
反義詞

文法句型

[A] overgrows [B] (= grows taller / further than B)

用法筆記

Formal or technical register, mainly used in horticulture and botany writing. The object is what the subject grows past in height or length, not what it covers (compare sense 1).

4. to develop to a bigger size or higher number than is normal or healthy, for exam

4.動詞不及物C1
釋義

to develop to a bigger size or higher number than is normal or healthy, for example bacteria in the gut or a city beyond its planned limits.

例句

Dr. Adisa warned Joon that yeast can overgrow in the gut after long antibiotic treatment.

medical context with named doctor and patient

The pumpkins had overgrown so much that Hassan struggled to lift one off the vine.

individual organism becoming too large

同義詞
反義詞

文法句型

[organism/population] overgrows

用法筆記

Often used in biology, medicine, and urban-planning contexts where 'excessive' has a measurable baseline. Subject is typically the organism or population, not the place — distinguish from sense 2 where a place becomes filled with wild growth.

常見錯誤

❌The garden overgrew the cabbages.
✅The cabbages overgrew this year.
💡in sense 4 the thing that grew too much is the subject, not the object.