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

For women like Toyama, growing up in the 1960s and ‘70s, divorce was uncommon – and often met with judgment and shame. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 26 July 2026

That’s a long journey for a kid who grew up in rural New Jersey as a nerdy outcast who found escape in comics and art. — Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Johnson was born in southern California and grew up in Omaha after her family moved there. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 26 July 2026

In our house growing up, the birthday tradition was that everyone got to request their favorite cake. — Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 25 July 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