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

Many consumers grew up watching Disney while eating Kraft Mac & Cheese or seeing Heinz ketchup on the family table. — Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Born in the Bronx on July 14, 1946, Pastore grew up in an Italian-American neighborhood in New Rochelle. — Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2026

He was born in the Bronx and grew up in suburban New Rochelle, New York. — ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026

The business partners grew up just 30 minutes apart in southeast Iowa, attended the University of Iowa and now live within a few blocks of each other in downtown Lee’s Summit. — Janice Phelan, Kansas City Star, 31 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