grow apart

grow apart

1. Literally, to grow and move away from something. Wow, those bushes have really grown apart since we bought the place. Well, if these trees had grown apart over the years, we wouldn't be in the situation we're in now, where their limbs have become intertwined. My hope when I planted those two hydrangea bushes was that they would grow toward each other and fill in this whole area. Instead, they've grown apart!

2. To experience a lessening of emotional intimacy in a relationship over time. Of course I still care about Ed—we've just grown apart over the years. We hardly even talk anymore. Plenty of married people realize they've grown apart once their kids go off to college. It takes work to keep a relationship alive. It's all too easy for two people to grow apart.

See also: apart, grow

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

grow apart

 (from someone or something)

1. Lit. [for things] to separate as they grow. These trees tend to grow apart from each other as they get bigger. They need to grow apart so they won't be too crowded.

2. Fig. [for people] to separate from one another gradually. Over the years, they grew apart from each other. Ted and Sharon grew apart and saw less and less of each other.

See also: apart, grow

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.