grownup
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of grownup
First recorded in 1805–15; noun 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.
What could be more gratifying than feeling superior to a couple of grownups?
It’s an open-air shopping and dining center that has a large lawn where the kids can play and the grownups can grab a drink from Lil’ Simmzy’s.
From Los Angeles Times
“No grownups!” the boys exult, upon realizing they are on a deserted island after the plane evacuating them from Britain is shot down.
It’s weird, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a grownup hold out their hand for me to shake.
From Literature
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Mr. Reiner later recalled that Norman Lear was the first grownup to say he was funny, when he was around 7 or 8.
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.