grow up
verb
grew up; grown up; growing up; grows up
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.
Examples of grow up in a Sentence
everyone has to grow up at some point in their lives
Recent Examples on the Web
As a child, Ashley grew up in a Habitat home in Fayetteville, giving her first-hand experience of the stability that home ownership can bring to hard working families.
—
Deb Harvell, arkansasonline.com, 27 Oct. 2024
Jones grew up in the small, rural community of Dublin in the western part of Michigan, about a two-hour drive north of Grand Rapids.
—Lorena Chambers / Made By History, TIME, 26 Oct. 2024
Carlo is following in his famous big sister’s footsteps as an actor in Hollywood
Comments
Eva Mendes grew up with three siblings — her sister Janet and brothers Carlos and Carlo — in a family who deeply values and celebrates their Cuban roots.
—Emily Weaver, People.com, 26 Oct. 2024
Mabu grew up on Manhattan’s Gold Coast, but raps NYC drill tunes about drive-bys.
—Heshel Rolnick, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grow up 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Deb Harvell, arkansasonline.com, 27 Oct. 2024
Jones grew up in the small, rural community of Dublin in the western part of Michigan, about a two-hour drive north of Grand Rapids.
—Lorena Chambers / Made By History, TIME, 26 Oct. 2024
Carlo is following in his famous big sister’s footsteps as an actor in Hollywood
Comments
Eva Mendes grew up with three siblings — her sister Janet and brothers Carlos and Carlo — in a family who deeply values and celebrates their Cuban roots.
—Emily Weaver, People.com, 26 Oct. 2024
Mabu grew up on Manhattan’s Gold Coast, but raps NYC drill tunes about drive-bys.
—Heshel Rolnick, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for grow up
Dictionary Entries Near grow up
Cite this Entry
“Grow up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grow%20up. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share