grow up

verb

grew up; grown up; growing up; grows up

intransitive verb

1

a

: to grow toward or arrive at full stature or physical or mental maturity : to progress from childhood toward adulthood

growing up intellectually

grew up in the city

also : to become an adult

She wants to be a doctor when she grows up.

b

: to stop thinking or behaving in a childish way

He should grow up and accept his responsibilities.

2

: to begin to exist and develop as time passes

A number of cities grew up along the river.

Synonyms

• age
• develop
• grow
• mature
• progress
• ripen

Examples of grow up in a Sentence

everyone has to grow up at some point in their lives

Recent Examples on the Web

Though based in New York for 20 years, Cameron grew up on a farm outside Glasgow. —Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 7 Sep. 2024

The Linda Lindas grow up (but not too fast) while reaching stadium-level status The all-girl adolescent punk band that went viral after a library performance now shares the stage with rock’s biggest stars. —Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2024

How does such a guy, who seems more concerned about his car than his sister’s children, grow up fast enough to find a solution? —Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Sep. 2024

Low-income white children born in 1992 grew up to earn less as adults than low-income white children born in 1978. —Michael Collins, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

grow up

verb

: to grow toward or reach full mental and physical growth