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Glite Dictionary
to hear the grass grow

to hear the grass grow

1 9.9
A very quiet place where even the smallest sounds seem noticeable
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : oír crecer la hierba
  • In the stillness of the forest, I felt as though I could hear the grass grow.

Examples

  • Claimed he could hear the grass grow.

    Hud (1963)

  • The final inhabitant of Poe's House of Usher heard the grass grow.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • During our camping trip, the quiet was so profound that I thought I could hear the grass grow.

  • On that tranquil evening, I sat outside and could almost hear the grass grow.

Antonyms

noise
∞ 1.0

A loud, unpleasant sound that disturbs you

clamor
  • US
15 6.0

A loud noise by people demanding change

How Quiet

to hear the grass grow
  • Informal
1 9.9
to still
12 4.2
to be quiet
231 1.0
to make noise
42 1.3

Surface Forms

hear the grass grow infinitive
hearing the grass grow present participle
hears the grass grow third person singular
heard the grass grow past
heard the grass grow past participle

Morphology

hear + the + grass + grow

The phrase is a hyperbolic extension of its literal parts: 'hear' + 'grass' + 'grow' evokes an image of such extreme quiet that even the faintest sound is noticeable. A B1 learner who knows the words could plausibly infer this figurative meaning but must recognize the hyperbole rather than a literal event, so the relation is partial rather than fully predictable.

Etymology

The expression hear the grass grow paints a simple picture: you are so quiet that you almost imagine you can hear the grass grow. So, it means 'a very quiet or still situation'.