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.

Examples of grow up in a Sentence

everyone has to grow up at some point in their lives
Recent Examples on the Web Trump grew up in the borough's Jamaica Estates neighborhood before attending the New York Military Academy then entering Fordham University for his undergraduate degree. Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2024 Sky Johnson grew up in the tiny O’odham village of Comobabi, in the foothills a few miles from Tohono O’odham. Matt Krupnick, The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024 After all, for the Gen-Zers on the festival grounds, No Doubt is probably the band that their parents grew up on. Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 14 Apr. 2024 Born on October 8, 1930, Ringgold grew up in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood, surrounded by figures who had risen to fame during the Harlem Renaissance. Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Apr. 2024 And the enthusiastic audience, which sang along and danced en masse, left not doubt of its devotion to Joel and the songs that many attendees grew up hearing. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024 The siblings grew up in a small town about 30 miles northeast of Tulsa. Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024 Madonna gave the girls her blessing to go forth and grow up (never mind that Britney was 21 and Christina was 22 at the time). Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 13 Apr. 2024 The Hill family of 7 would act and sing in dozens of community theater productions together as the kids grew up. Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grow up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of grow up was in 1535

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 18 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

grow up

verb
: to grow toward or reach full mental and physical growth

More from Merriam-Webster on grow up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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