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
Derived 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.
Trust in institutions and fellow citizens has declined, and many young people have come of age amid political polarization, technological and economic change, unhinged social media, Covid-era isolation and geopolitical uncertainty.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
A few minutes in we meet an Ann who has come of age, now played by Amanda Seyfried in a performance of unwavering conviction.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
We have to remember that the young adults sampled in the Yale poll are the first to come of age politically after the Great Recession and during the pandemic.
From Salon • May 8, 2025
As they come of age, they form tight bonds of friendship and romance while being schooled in traditional academics and art.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025
She and her generation were the first in the history of the world to come of age with the possibility of human extinction as a by-product of human ingenuity.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
