grown-up
Americanadjective
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having reached the age of maturity.
-
characteristic of or suitable for adults.
grown-up behavior; grown-up fiction.
adjective
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having reached maturity; adult
-
suitable for or characteristic of an adult
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of grown-up
First recorded in 1625–35; adj. use of verb phrase grow up
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.
“That is the grown-up part of the AI story: Less sparkle, more spreadsheet.”
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
From the Backstreet Boys to the Jonas Brothers to Boyz II Men, adult women are paying up to see their favorite grown-up boy bands this summer.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026
I’d call my dad like a grown-up: “Pick me up at 7. We will have dinner and then you will return me to my home because I have school in the morning.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
A maximalist, grown-up riff on seven-layer dip: smoky chorizo, creamy beans, sweet corn and tangy crema stacked into something closer to a full meal than a snack.
From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026
If you got your ISDA, you could in theory trade with the big Wall Street firms, if not as an equal then at least as a grown-up.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
