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

Jim Wiley, the town plumber who grew up in the area, remembers talking with Simoneau in the aftermath of the 1993 blaze. —Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2025

When grown indoors, a rubber tree is a towering, sculptural plant that can grow up to 8 feet tall. —Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Jan. 2025

Levine describes the restaurant owner, Bill Crawford, who grew up in eastern Oregon, in a double-wide trailer. —Vincent Medina, Idaho Statesman, 11 Jan. 2025

People like me who grew up in Southern California didn’t like the smog. —Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2025

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