Meanings
verbgrow up (third-person singular simple present grows up, present participle growing up, simple past grew up, past participle grown up)
present singular third person grows up · participle present growing up · past grew up · participle past grown up
- intransitiveTo mature and become an adult.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
2 more examples
Attila grew up a nomad on the plains of Hungary
I'm in the place where I grew up, where my alma mater is.
2021 December 29, Stephen Roberts, “Stories and facts behind railway plaques: Evesham (1870)”, in RAIL, number 947, page 58 - idiomaticintransitiveTo stop acting as or like a child (often used as an imperative interjection).
Will you grow up please, and stop making silly faces?
interjection
- imperativeUsed to criticize childish behavior, especially that considered unreasonable for one's age.
You're giggling because I said "butt"? Grow up, seriously.
1 more example
Grow up! The Bible is nothing more than a astrotheological allegory for things like the Sun!
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Middle Englishupgrowen
- Englishgrow up
Dissimilated from Middle English upgrowen.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic كَبُرَ, ْنَشَأ
- كَبُرَ (kabura)to mature and become an adult
- ْنَشَأ (našaʔ)to mature and become an adult
Catalan créixer, fer-se gran
- créixerto mature and become an adult
- fer-se granto mature and become an adult
- créixeridiomatic: to stop acting as a child
Chinese Mandarin 長大 /长大
- 長大 /长大 (zhǎngdà)to mature and become an adult
Czech vyrůst, dospět
- vyrůstto mature and become an adult
- dospětto mature and become an adult
Danish vokse op, blive voksen
- vokse opto mature and become an adult
- blive voksento mature and become an adult
- vokse opidiomatic: to stop acting as a child
- blive voksenidiomatic: to stop acting as a child
Dutch opgroeien
- opgroeiento mature and become an adult
Esperanto plenkreski, plenaĝiĝi
- plenkreskito mature and become an adult
- plenaĝiĝito mature and become an adult
- elkreskito mature and become an adult
Finnish kasvaa aikuiseksi, kehittyä
- kasvaa aikuiseksito mature and become an adult
- kehittyäto flourish
- kasvaa aikuiseksiidiomatic: to stop acting as a child
- aikuistuaidiomatic: to stop acting as a child
French grandir
- grandirto mature and become an adult
German aufwachsen, erwachsen werden
- aufwachsento mature and become an adult
- erwachsen werdento mature and become an adult
- erwachsento mature and become an adult
Greek μεγαλώνω
- μεγαλώνω (megalóno)to mature and become an adult
Hebrew גָּדַל
- גָּדַל (gadál)to mature and become an adult
Hungarian felnő, kifejlődik
- felnőto mature and become an adult
- kifejlődikto flourish
- felnőttként viselkedikidiomatic: to stop acting as a child
Irish éirigh suas
- éirigh suasto mature and become an adult
Italian crescere, fiorire
- crescereto mature and become an adult
- fiorireto flourish
- attecchireto flourish
- crescereto flourish
- svilupparsito flourish
- comportarsi da adultoidiomatic: to stop acting as a child
Japanese 成長する, 大人に成る
- 成長する (seichō-suru)to mature and become an adult
- 大人に成る (otona ni naru)to mature and become an adult
Latin alescō, adolescō
- alescōto mature and become an adult
- adolescōto mature and become an adult
- accrēscōto mature and become an adult
Norwegian vokse opp, bli voksen
- vokse oppto mature and become an adult
- bli voksento mature and become an adult
Persian بالیدن, رشدادن
- بالیدن (bâlidan)to mature and become an adult
- رشدادنto mature and become an adult
Polish dorastać, dorosnąć
- dorastaćto mature and become an adult
- dorosnąćidiomatic: to stop acting as a child
Portuguese crescer, crescer
- crescerto mature and become an adult
- crescerto flourish
- cresceridiomatic: to stop acting as a child
Russian расти́, выраста́ть
- расти́ (rastí)to mature and become an adult
- выраста́ть (vyrastátʹ)to mature and become an adult
- вы́расти (výrasti)to mature and become an adult
Slovak dospieť, vyrásť
- dospieťto mature and become an adult
- vyrásťto mature and become an adult
Spanish crecer, madurar
- crecerto mature and become an adult
- maduraridiomatic: to stop acting as a child
Swedish växa upp, bli vuxen
- växa uppto mature and become an adult
- bli vuxento mature and become an adult
- växa framto flourish
- växa uppto flourish
- blomstrato flourish
- växa uppidiomatic: to stop acting as a child
Turkish büyümek, yetişmek
- büyümekto mature and become an adult
- yetişmekto mature and become an adult
- büyümekidiomatic: to stop acting as a child
Welsh cael magu
- cael maguto mature and become an adult
Cite this entry
APA
grow up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grow%20up
MLA
“grow up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grow%20up. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “grow up,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grow%20up.
Source: grow up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.