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

And like many other young writers, Nichols accepted it as growing pains. —Anne Branigin, Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2023

But, obviously, with that comes growing pains. —Rachel Seo, Variety, 16 Feb. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

growing pains

noun plural

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