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

But the hardships didn’t stop her from returning to the startup scene as Nixie’s founder—having grown up in the business world, Dawes is not so easily deterred. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2025

In those years my family lived in Lahore, in a household that still resembled the one where my father grew up, in the medievalesque Old City of Lahore. —Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025

What begins as a rivalry spirals into a chaotic, heartfelt journey through adolescent identity, friendship, and the universal awkwardness of growing up. —Udita Jhunjhunwala, Variety, 23 Nov. 2025

Tshisekedi's father, Etienne Tshisekedi, was Mobutu's most die-hard political opponent, and the president himself grew up partly in exile. —Emmet Livingstone, NPR, 23 Nov. 2025

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