sprout

1 of 2

verb

ˈsprau̇t How to pronounce sprout (audio)
sprouted; sprouting; sprouts
Synonyms of sproutnext

intransitive verb

1
: to grow, spring up, or come forth as or as if a sprout
2
: to send out new growth

transitive verb

: to send forth or up : cause to develop : grow

sprout

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: shoot sense 1a
especially : a young shoot (as from a seed or root)
b sprouts plural
(1)
chiefly British : brussels sprout sense 2
(2)
: edible sprouts especially from recently germinated seeds (as of alfalfa or mung beans)
2
: something resembling a sprout: such as
a
: a young person
b
: scion sense 1

Synonyms

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of sprout in a Sentence

Verb seeds sprouting in the spring Potatoes will sprout in the bag if kept in a warm place. The garden is sprouting weeds.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
For his first day of work in June 1999, Scott Smith arrived at the makeshift bat factory, a three-level brick corner house in Ottawa with a stop sign sprouting up from the tree-lawn shrubs. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025 Solar panels are sprouting from the roofs of hotels. — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Noun
Tuesday, March 25, Beef Stroganoff with whole grain egg noodles, Brussels sprouts, Romaine salad and tomatoes, baked apples, milk. — Ramona Sentinel, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025 Making the cut just outside the branch collar also prevents weak sprout regrowth. — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sprout

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English spruten, from Old English -sprūtan; akin to Old High German spriozan to sprout, Lithuanian sprausti to squeeze, thrust

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of sprout was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing sprout

Rhymes for sprout

See All Rhymes for sprout

Browse Nearby Words

S protein
sprout
sprout cell
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sprout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprout. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

sprout

1 of 2 verb
ˈsprau̇t How to pronounce sprout (audio)
1
: to grow or spring up as or as if a sprout
2
: to send out new growth
potatoes kept too warm will sprout in the bag
3
: to send forth or up : cause to develop : grow

sprout

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: shoot entry 2 sense 1a
especially : a young shoot (as from a seed or root)
2
plural : edible young shoots especially from recently germinated seeds (as of alfalfa)

Medical Definition

sprout

1 of 2 intransitive verb
ˈsprau̇t How to pronounce sprout (audio)
: to send out new growth : produce sprouts
vascular endothelial growth factor … has been shown to spur blood vessels to sprout— Greg Miller

sprout

2 of 2 noun
: a new outgrowth (as of nerve tissue) resembling the young shoot of a plant
segments of the axon above the injury … produce new sprouts— J. L. Marx

More from Merriam-Webster on sprout

Nglish: Translation of sprout for Spanish Speakers

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