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.
"I didn't grow up with much money, so when I got a job I would spend my wages as soon as they hit my account," says the 24-year-old.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
“It was dangerous and it was a little grittier, a little more scary to grow up in the L.A. of the ’80s,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
He noted that even the most seasoned fishermen "didn't grow up driving boats around whales because they didn't used to be here."
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Alas, while I took ballet lessons as a child, I did not grow up to join a company.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
He wanted us to grow up in our own culture, among our own people.
From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola
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.
