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growth

growth

64 6.4
A mass of cells that forms a lump and may be harmful
  • noun
  • /ɡroʊθ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tumor
  • After reviewing the scans, the oncologist confirmed the presence of a malignant growth in the patient's lung.
  • tumor growth
  • malignant growth
  • uncontrolled growth

They're showing that these myokines can inhibit tumor cell growth in the prostate.

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Examples

  • The good news is, Devin, if we can remove all of this cancerous growth, we may be able to prevent it from spreading to your brain.

  • Cancer is a complex group of diseases, each characterized by the uncontrolled growth of previously normal cells.

    Academic text (2015)
  • All of these processes have been shown to play a critical role in the growth and spread of cancer.

  • "Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of a cancer cell."

  • The buildings are like a cancerous growth down there.

  • Histochemical analysis of the obtained specimens indicated a malignant neoplastic growth with high mitotic activity.

    Academic text (2008)
  • I believe... that the growth in my head-- this head, this one right here-- I think that it is not really a tumor, not an uncontrolled, undirected little bubbling pot of flesh, but that it is in fact... a new organ, a new part of the brain.

  • Ectopic expression of circ-Foxo3 could trigger stress-induced apoptosis and inhibit the growth of tumor xenografts.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The doctor explained that the unusual growth in his neck could be a tumor that needs further examination.

  • Research has shown that certain chemicals can promote the rapid growth of abnormal cells in the body.

Synonyms

tumor
vsgrowth
  • Specialized
368 3.6

A mass of extra cells in the body that does not help it

is the more general everyday word used for such abnormal masses
neoplasm
vsgrowth
  • Specialized
2 8.6

A group of extra cells that forms a lump and may be cancer

is the more common general word rather than the medical label

Antonyms

1.0

The condition of a person's body and mind, especially being free from illness or injury

1.0

Usual or expected in most situations

Idioms

To want to keep getting better and to try hard to improve

Compounds

176 2.9

An increase in the goods and services a country makes over time

48 2.7

How fast something grows over a period of time

A rise in the number of people living in a place

growth hormone
  • Specialized
21 3.5

A chemical made by a gland that makes people and animals grow and cells multiply

13 2.8

A quick increase in size, number, or importance

The speed at which something becomes bigger or more over time

old growth
  • Specialized
12 6.6

A forest where people have not cut trees for a long time

To improve yourself by learning about your feelings and skills over time

A business area where companies get bigger quickly and make more money

human growth hormone
  • Specialized
7 4.3

A chemical made by a small gland under the brain that helps the body grow and make new cells

growth stock
  • Jargon
6 6.0

A share in a company expected to increase in value faster than most shares

A regular increase in size or value over time

growth factor
  • Specialized
3 3.9

A natural substance that makes cells divide and change into different types

growth ring
  • Specialized
1 3.8

A layer of wood made in one year that appears as a ring in a tree trunk

A young forest that came back after the original trees were cut or burned

nerve growth factor
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A protein that helps nerve cells grow and stay healthy

A chemical made in the brain that tells another gland to release growth hormone

growth regulator
  • Specialized
5.1

A natural or man-made substance in plants that controls how they grow and develop

growth factor
  • Specialized
4.1

A cause that helps a system such as an economy or technology grow

optimal plant growth
  • Specialized
3.9

Plants grow best when they get enough water, light, and nutrients

How Severe

cancer
2.7
tumor
  • Specialized
368 3.6
growth
  • Specialized
64 6.4
lump
61 3.6

Surface Forms

growth singular
growths plural

Morphology

growth = grow (semi-transparent) = grow + th

Formally derived from 'grow' + '-th', but the specialized medical sense 'an abnormal mass or tumor' is a narrower, domain-specific meaning not automatically predicted by everyday uses of 'grow'.

Etymology

The word growth uses the same root grow that means 'to become bigger', and in medicine it can mean a new lump or mass that has grown inside the body. A helpful way to remember this meaning is to think of a 'growth' as something that has grown where it should not have.