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.

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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

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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.

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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

See Examples For:

growing pains

This case — and the many pending ones behind it — are growing pains for a generation that will profit from social media’s rise, as Agostino sees it.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Is this growing pains or the wobble before the fall?

From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026

What 250 years means: 250 years of America is joy, devastation, pain, suffering, growing pains, heartache, injustices, tears, happiness, growth, homesteading lifestyle, culture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

In the process, her editorial choices and growing pains as a new TV executive have drawn the ire of many longtime staffers, particularly at “60 Minutes.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

Dad comes home from his job at Rank’s Flour Mills and tells Mam I’m going through a stage, growing pains.

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