grow up
verb
grew up; grown up; growing up; grows up
1
a
: to grow toward or arrive at full stature or physical or mental maturity : to progress from childhood toward adulthood
growing up intellectually
grew up in the city
also
: to become an adult
She wants to be a doctor when she grows up.
b
: to stop thinking or behaving in a childish way
He should grow up and accept his responsibilities.
2
: to begin to exist and develop as time passes
A number of cities grew up along the river.
Examples of grow up in a Sentence
everyone has to grow up at some point in their lives
Recent Examples on the Web
Johnathon grew up among bull riders in his hometown of Cherbourg, a former Aboriginal mission that sits at the end of a long, sealed road in rural Queensland.
—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
5 July 2026
Not many people were left by then but Stanley Hurst was, raising four children on the same land where he’d been born and grown up.
—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
5 July 2026
McGinley grew up in a middle-class Irish Catholic family in northern New Jersey, as the youngest of eight children.
—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
4 July 2026
Oscar-winner Brad Pitt, a lifelong Chiefs fan who grew up in Springfield, Missouri, was there, too.
—
Kansas City Star,
4 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for grow up
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Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
5 July 2026
Not many people were left by then but Stanley Hurst was, raising four children on the same land where he’d been born and grown up.
—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
5 July 2026
McGinley grew up in a middle-class Irish Catholic family in northern New Jersey, as the youngest of eight children.
—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
4 July 2026
Oscar-winner Brad Pitt, a lifelong Chiefs fan who grew up in Springfield, Missouri, was there, too.
—
Kansas City Star,
4 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for grow up
Cite this Entry
“Grow up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grow%20up. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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