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

Kember, who grew up in a Catholic household, and Pierce, the son of a proselytizer, were fascinated by spirituality. — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026

Traditional dishes, transformed Salinari grew up with two kinds of cuisines. — Candy Hom, AJC.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Smith noted that Carney grew up in Alberta and remains an Edmonton Oilers fan. — Rob Gillies, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026

If your child's Little League game can ruin your entire weekend, your child isn't the one who needs to grow up. — Jonathan Alpert Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 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