growing pains

plural noun

1

: pains in the legs of growing children having no demonstrable relation to growth

2

: the stresses and strains attending a new project or development

Examples of growing pains in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

By sacrificing her long meals and talking over the growing pains with staffers over weekly lunches. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026

Call it early growing pains for a rookie who could still be called upon for spot minutes in a playoff series. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026

There were growing pains, for sure, but the players eventually got the hang of it. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 14 Apr. 2026

Your mind can stretch with fewer growing pains during today’s Mercury-Uranus sextile. —Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 14 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for growing pains

• aeroplanes
• appertains
• ascertains
• entertains
• hurricanes
• hyperplanes
• windowpanes
• abstains
• achenes
• alkanes
• attains
• biplanes

Kids Definition

growing pains

plural noun

1

: pains in the legs of growing children having no proven relation to growth

2

: difficulties that accompany something new

a business going through growing pains

Medical Definition

growing pains

noun plural

grow·​ing pains ˈgrō-iŋ-ˌpānz 

: pains occurring in the legs of growing children having no demonstrable relation to growth