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

• age
• develop
• grow
• mature
• progress
• ripen

Examples of grow up in a Sentence

everyone has to grow up at some point in their lives

Recent Examples on the Web

Davis, who grew up in Fayetteville and later lived in Springdale, donated family photos and shared her family history with the museum. —Deb Harvell, Arkansas Online, 25 May 2025

Where to watch:Netflix 'Pee-wee as Himself' The fascinating two-part documentary is a must-see for 1980s kids who grew up watching Pee-wee Herman. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 24 May 2025

The book is a memoir about growing up in the village from 1949-69. —Chuck Fieldman, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2025

The comedy is based on Goldberg and Kroll’s own experiences growing up together and is one of Netflix’s longest-running original series ever, with a total of eight seasons. —Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 23 May 2025

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