sprout

1 of 2

verb

sprouted; sprouting; sprouts

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

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. The tree is already sprouting leaves. He sprouted a beard since the last time I saw him. She dreamed that her boss had sprouted horns. Hair sprouted on his face. Noun he earned the admiration of the neighborhood sprouts when he showed them how to make a slingshot the raspberry bushes began sending out sprouts in early spring
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
Think of an apple, sprouted grain bread with natural peanut butter, hormone-free chicken or a bowl of beans. Fred Sassani, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024 Dark red-purple stems sprout from a woody base in the spring, and can grow as high as three and a half feet. Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 18 Nov. 2024
Noun
The $568 meal serves 6 to 8 people and includes heritage turkey, sides like brussel sprouts, mixed mushrooms, sourdough stuffing, potato puree, macaroni and cheese, cranberry compote, and gravy. Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024 Urban Plates Customize this turkey family feast with sides like Brussels sprouts, rainbow carrots and beets, roasted or mashed potatoes and extra mushroom stuffing. Kate Murphy, Axios, 19 Nov. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near sprout

Cite this Entry

“Sprout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprout. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

sprout

1 of 2 verb
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
: to send out new growth : produce sprouts
vascular endothelial growth factor … has been shown to spur blood vessels to sproutGreg 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 sproutsJ. L. Marx

More from Merriam-Webster on sprout

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