grownup
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of grownup
First recorded in 1805–15; noun 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.
Above all, size your positions like a grownup.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026
Mr. Reiner later recalled that Norman Lear was the first grownup to say he was funny, when he was around 7 or 8.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025
For a more grownup affair, consider a caramel apple sangria.
From Washington Times • Nov. 15, 2023
The star was the collection’s motif, seen on stretch dresses and pleated denim mini skirts worn with knee socks — caught somewhere between girlhood and the grownup world.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 24, 2023
During the proceedings, the ritual mumbo-jumbo and the tea and cookies afterward, we acted like responsible, grownup parents.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
