growing pains

American  

plural noun

1. dull, quasi-rheumatic pains of varying degree in the limbs during childhood and adolescence, often popularly associated with the process of growing.

2. emotional difficulties experienced during adolescence and preadulthood.

3. difficulties attending any new project or any rapid development of an existing project.

   a city plagued with growing pains.

---

growing pains British  

plural noun

1. pains in muscles or joints sometimes experienced by children during a period of unusually rapid growth

2. difficulties besetting a new enterprise in its early stages

---

growing pains Idioms  

1. Problems that arise in beginning or enlarging an enterprise, as in The company is undergoing growing pains but should be viable by next year. This expression, which dates from the late 1800s, originally referred to the joint and limb aches experienced by youngsters who are growing rapidly. By about 1900 it was being used figuratively.

---

Usage

What does growing pains mean? Originally a reference to the physical pains many children experience when going through a growth spurt, growing pains has come to refer to the hardships experienced at the early stages of some endeavor. The term is frequently used to describe the struggles found in transitioning from an adolescent to an adult, from an amateur to a professional, or the creation or expansion of a business. How is growing pains pronounced?[ groh-ing peynz ]

Etymology

Origin of growing pains

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

Which isn’t to say the Grand Prix came without growing pains.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

But investigations found he had been accidentally poisoned with an overdose of vitamin D that had been prescribed for growing pains.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

The question is whether these cracks signal a deeper problem — like the seeds of a widespread financial crisis — or if this is simply a period of growing pains in a maturing asset class.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

Some may perceive this as mere growing pains for a now-decade-old Silicon Valley giant that experienced a massive growth spurt after ChatGPT’s takeoff.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

Mam tells Dad I’m bleeding through my bottom and he says I might have a case of the runs, which is common with the growing pains.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt