grow up
Britishverb
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to reach maturity; become adult
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to come into existence; develop
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Become an adult, as in Sam wants to be a policeman when he grows up . [First half of 1500s]
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Come into existence, arise, as in Similar social problems grew up in all the big cities . [Late 1500s]
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Become mature or sensible, as in It's time you grew up and faced the facts . This usage may also be in the form of an imperative (as in Don't bite your nails—grow up! ) [Mid-1900s]
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.
For many Mexicans, both here and in our home country, boxing is one of the main sports we grow up watching — whether we wanted to or not.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2026
We’ve lived separately for 14 years, waiting for my two sons to grow up.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026
Soffin had watched that little girl grow up and eventually become a member of Congress.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
Similarly, the first generation of fans to grow up with regular exposure to women's football should build fandom that help attendances boom.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
“Good day, Michael. It’s been a pleasure seeing you. I always wondered if you’d grow up; now I know.”
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
