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 of grow up

• grow
• progress

Examples of grow up in a Sentence

everyone has to grow up at some point in their lives

Recent Examples on the Web

If only civics were still being taught in elementary school, American children would grow up understanding that socialism is the exact opposite of what this country’s founders intended. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026

Robby’s peers grew up and went to college, got married and started their lives. — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026

Marciniw also grew up in Southern California and graduated from Burbank High School in 1974, according to NBC4. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Estrus is still made for the dark and sweaty rooms, with propulsive electro-pop that draws on the Swedish indie and dance music Lo grew up loving (The Knife and Robyn are among its reference points). — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for grow up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

grow up

verb

: to grow toward or reach full mental and physical growth