growing pains

plural noun

1

: pains in the legs of growing children having no demonstrable relation to growth

2

: the stresses and strains attending a new project or development

Examples of growing pains in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Over the next year, and despite some growing pains, Byway brought in more than $500,000 in total revenue, including over $400,000 in net sales, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. —Tom Huddleston Jr. lauren Shamo, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2025

Malinauskas readily admits there will be growing pains. —Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025

On top of these external pressures, companies in parts of the world are feeling growing pains. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 10 Dec. 2025

But the issue Mad Men’s HBO Max debut ran into is different from the growing pains many TV classics have experienced with their modern-day streaming upgrades. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for growing pains

• aeroplanes
• appertains
• ascertains
• entertains
• hurricanes
• hyperplanes
• windowpanes
• abstains
• achenes
• alkanes
• attains
• biplanes

Kids Definition

growing pains

plural noun

1

: pains in the legs of growing children having no proven relation to growth

2

: difficulties that accompany something new

a business going through growing pains

Medical Definition

growing pains

noun plural

grow·​ing pains ˈgrō-iŋ-ˌpānz 

: pains occurring in the legs of growing children having no demonstrable relation to growth