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

Nima grew up learning about Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa who, in 1953, guided Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand on the first ever summit of Everest. —Cecilia Vega, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025

Kyle Hollins says growing up with a prison guard for a dad was strict and complicated, made even more intense because his mother ran a drug rehabilitation center. —Kansas City Star, 21 Dec. 2025

Meanwhile, Ewers was born in San Antonio and grew up in Southlake, Texas, according to Garden & Gun. —Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025

Drew Rollins is a writer, poet, and translator who grew up in Maryland and Bulgaria. —Drew Rollins, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 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