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

• age
• develop
• grow
• mature
• progress
• ripen

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 Folsom restaurant’s food will be tied to Monterrey, the Mexican city where Martinez and Wise grew up. —Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 21 July 2024

Widner delves into how the Anglin brothers grew up — impoverished, living in a cramped house with no plumbing — and says their upbringing gave them a resourcefulness to overcome difficult situations. —Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 21 July 2024

Owens grew up in Cleveland as one of 10 children of former Alabama sharecroppers. —Ronald G. Shafer, Washington Post, 21 July 2024

The director, Chung, grew up in rural Arkansas, where tornadoes are a fact of life. —Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

grow up

verb

: to grow toward or reach full mental and physical growth