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

The last time Grant, who calls Colorado Springs home but grew up in Maine, saw his beloved Pats at Empower Field was November 2015. —Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 25 Jan. 2026

McCarthy grew up in the Greenfield neighborhood, just a couple of miles away from the team's practice facility on the city's South Side. —Arkansas Online, 25 Jan. 2026

The look is grown up, a little hot liberal arts professor, comprising a navy cotton-poplin overcoat, a grey cashmere knit, a shirt, woollen trousers, and lime-green Collapse sneakers. —Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 24 Jan. 2026

Ausar, who grew up in Georgia, ranks second in the country with 165 free-throw attempts in 19 games. —Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 24 Jan. 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