adult
Americannoun
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a person who is fully grown or developed or of age.
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a full-grown animal or plant.
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a person who has attained the age of maturity as specified by law.
adjective
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having attained full size and strength; grown up; mature.
an adult person, animal, or plant.
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of, relating to, or befitting adults.
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intended for adults; not suitable for children.
adult entertainment.
verb (used without object)
adjective
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having reached maturity; fully developed
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of or intended for mature people
adult education
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regarded as suitable only for adults, because of being pornographic
adult films and magazines
noun
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a person who has attained maturity; a grownup
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a mature fully grown animal or plant
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law a person who has attained the age of legal majority (18 years for most purposes) Compare infant
Usage
What does adult mean? An adult is a person who is fully grown or developed. This could refer to a person’s body being done growing or their mind being fully developed. An adult child is someone’s child who is fully grown, as in Murray’s adult children are all married and have children of their own.An adult is also a person who has reached an age that their society says allows them responsibilities and benefits not allowed to children. For example, in the United States someone who is 18 years old is in many cases considered an adult. Eighteen-year-olds can vote, sign a contract, join the military, and other actions children are not allowed to do.An adult can also be a fully grown or matured plant or animal, as in Once my puppy becomes an adult, I’ll need to get them a bigger crate.Adult can also be used to describe something related to adults or adulthood, such as adult responsibilities—like paying rent.Adult can also be used to describe something not suitable for children. Things labeled as adult entertainment, for example, often include explicit sexual content.Informally, adult can be used as a verb meaning to take on responsibilities usually reserved for adults, such as owning a house. It’s often used humorously to describe small responsibilities, as in Tanya really adulted today by putting away her laundry.
Other Word Forms
- adulthood noun
- adultlike adjective
- adultly adverb
- adultness noun
- nonadult adjective
- quasi-adult adjective
- subadult adjective
- subadultness noun
- unadult adjective
Etymology
Origin of adult
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin adultus “grown” (past participle of adolēre “to make grow”), equivalent to ad- ad- + ul- (identical with base al- in aliment ( def. ) ) + -tus past participle suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the early thirties, the brain's wiring shifts into an adult configuration.
From Science Daily
In South Africa, where one in five adults lives with HIV, a Wits University research unit oversaw the rollout as part of an initiative funded by Unitaid, the United Nations health agency.
From Barron's
To investigate this effect, the researchers carried out two randomized studies involving healthy adults.
From Science Daily
More than three-quarters of Australian adults agreed with the new legislation before it passed, a poll indicated.
From Barron's
More than any other generation, young adults are tightening their year-end spending budgets and shelling out less for gifts, survey data shows.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
