grow up
1. verb To become older and more mature; to progress toward adulthood. When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut. Growing up with three older brothers probably did a lot to shape my personality. I haven't been back to my hometown in years, but it sure was a nice place to grow up.
2. verb To arise or emerge. Protests have grown up all across the nation in response to that incident. Brace yourself—I expect considerable pushback to grow up out of our decision to cut funding. According to many inside the region, resentment has grown up among working-class voters who feel betrayed by the recent legislative change.
3. expression An imperative to be more mature, typically directed at someone exhibiting what the speaker considers to be extremely immature behavior. Oh, grow up and take some responsibility for your actions. Ugh, you guys are so immature! Grow up! Wow, the silent treatment, that's really mature of you. Grow up already and communicate like an adult!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
grow up
to become mature; to become adult. All the children have grown up and the parents are left with a lot of debts.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
grow up
1. Become an adult, as in Sam wants to be a policeman when he grows up. [First half of 1500s]
2. Come into existence, arise, as in Similar social problems grew up in all the big cities. [Late 1500s]
3. 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]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
grow up
v. To become an adult: I want to be a teacher when I grow up.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.