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

For Many Korean Creators, Hollywood Was Already Home Part of what has made K-culture’s American breakthrough so seamless is that so much of it is now made by Americans — Korean Americans who grew up with a foot in both worlds and the instincts to navigate between them. —Dan Bilefsky, HollywoodReporter, 21 Mar. 2026

As a kid, growing up in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Bushwick, Jonathan was more into art and drawing, inspired by his lifelong love of comic books, especially Superman. —Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2026

As a child growing up in East Chicago, Jesse Gomez had a lot of faith in César Chavez. —Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026

If Jon Davison hadn’t grown up just three blocks away from Taylor Hawkins in Laguna Beach, California, his life would be unimaginably different. —Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 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