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.
One said, “A man does not grow up until he has kids of his own.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
A panel of experts—convened by Von der Leyen—issued a report earlier this year outlining how they believe rules should be implemented, including by staggering how children can use platforms as they grow up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
"What's the point in working forever and missing your children grow up?" he told Channel4.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
This pattern has been well documented among Holocaust survivors, many of whom believed that silence would allow their children to grow up “normally.”
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
My sister says the only reason Mom married him was to give me a male role model so I’d know how to grow up into a man, and so we wouldn’t be on welfare.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
