grow a pair

verb

To be brave; to show some courage, especially in a situation in which one has so far failed to do so.

Similar
grow some ballsget a pairstrap on a pair
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbgrow a pair (third-person singular simple present grows a pair, present participle growing a pair, simple past grew a pair, past participle grown a pair)

present singular third person grows a pair · participle present growing a pair · past grew a pair · participle past grown a pair

  1. UScolloquialidiomaticvulgarTo be brave; to show some courage, especially in a situation in which one has so far failed to do so.

    Synonyms: grow some balls, get a pair, strap on a pair

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo be brave; to show some courage, especially in a situation in which one has so far failed to do so.

Similar
grow some ballsget a pairstrap on a pair
Also see
get a pairgrow a setstrap on a pair

Origin

Clipping of grow a pair of balls.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

German lass dir Eier wachsen, lass dir ein Paar Eier wachsen
  • lass dir Eier wachsenTranslations
  • lass dir ein Paar Eier wachsenTranslations
Polish hodować jaja, wyhodować jaja
  • hodować jajaTranslations
  • wyhodować jajaTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

grow a pair. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grow%20a%20pair

MLA

“grow a pair.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grow%20a%20pair. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “grow a pair,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grow%20a%20pair.

Source: grow a pair on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.