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

Zhang grew up in China, where giving monetary gifts during holidays and special events is customary. —Allie Volpe, Vox, 19 Nov. 2024

Reiss grew up in a rental apartment on 86th Street and Riverside Drive. —Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 19 Nov. 2024

Focusing on the Long-Term Obviously, most kids won’t grow up to be professional athletes, but every child can develop athleticism. —Discover Magazine, 15 Nov. 2024

Ver grew up in Silicon Valley, founding a computer company called MemoryDealers at the precocious age of 19. —Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 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