overgrown

Everyday

1. Covered with plants, weeds or grass that have grown too much because no one has cut them. tree →
2. Grown too large, or (of a person) acting like a child though grown up: «an overgrown schoolboy». tree →

In the lessons

In stories, an overgrown garden, path or castle tells the reader that a place is old, forgotten or secret, as in «The Secret Garden» or «Sleeping Beauty». In nature lessons and gardening: weeds take over when nothing is cut. Safety: overgrown places can hide holes, nettles, ticks or snakes.

Examples

• The garden was overgrown with weeds. tree →
• We found an overgrown path in the woods. tree →
• The old castle was overgrown with ivy. tree →
• Watch out for nettles in the overgrown field. tree →
• Dad cut back the overgrown hedge. tree →
• He's just an overgrown kid who loves video games. tree →
• Their way led through a stream whose banks were overgrown with thick brushwood. tree →

Note

It comes from the verb «overgrow» (overgrow, overgrew, overgrown). «Overgrown with» + plants: «overgrown with brambles». Not the same as «grown over» (which is used less) or «outgrown» (too big for: «I've outgrown my shoes»).