come of age
Americanverb (used without object)
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to become an adult.
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to reach maturity, acceptance, or readiness.
Other Word Forms
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.
Sometimes, Saunders wonders whether the path she followed — go to college, get a job — would have led to her owning a home if she’d come of age in a different generation.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
A generation has come of age with no personal memory of 9/11.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Martin described Gen Z as one of the first generations in recent memory to come of age facing markedly tighter economic circumstances.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Catherine Croft, director of campaign group Twentieth Century Society, said the "battle has been won and Brutalism has finally come of age".
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
Joff made a show of asking his grandfather to assume governance of the realm, and Lord Tywin solemnly ac-cepted the responsibility, "until Your Grace does come of age."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
