grown-up
Americanadjective
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having reached the age of maturity.
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characteristic of or suitable for adults.
grown-up behavior; grown-up fiction.
adjective
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having reached maturity; adult
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suitable for or characteristic of an adult
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of grown-up
First recorded in 1625–35; adj. use of verb phrase grow up
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.
"Big brother" was one way the Fleming-McCullum dynamic was referred to, and there was a sense that England now have a grown-up in charge, following the freewheeling of McCullum.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
“I don’t feel like a grown-up yet, and now I pay a mortgage, and fix pipes and clean gutters.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Compared to the 30-year-old I interviewed five years ago, Piker looked considerably more grown-up.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
It feels daring for how it wants to actually examine the emotional costs of contemporary grown-up life, bringing wincing laughs of recognition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Nok caught a hint of amusement in his voice, like a grown-up talking down to a little kid.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
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.
