grow up
- Top 3000
Sense 1
- verb
- B2
To change from being a child into being an adult, often in a certain place or way of life.
I grew up speaking two languages at home with my parents.
Children seem to grow up faster than their parents expect.
After the accident he had to grow up very quickly.
She grew up on a farm and still gets up early.
Common collocations: grow up in a small town · grow up fast · when I grow up · grow up to be a doctor · grow up together
Part of: Life events, Family, Relationships
Sense 2 · less common
- verb
- B2
Used when telling someone to stop acting in a silly, childish way.
Grow up and stop blaming everyone else for your mistakes.
Tell them to grow up; that joke stopped being funny hours ago.
You two really need to grow up and talk properly.
Common collocations: oh, grow up! · tell someone to grow up · need to grow up
Part of: Talking to people, Personality, Negative emotions
Sense 3 · less common
- verb
- C1
To slowly appear and get bigger, used about towns, businesses or ideas.
A small town grew up around the mill within thirty years.
A whole industry has grown up around repairing these old machines.
Strange stories grew up about the empty house on the hill.
Common collocations: grow up around something · a town grew up · an industry has grown up
Part of: Buildings and places, Landscape
Forms
- past
- grew up
- third_person
- grows up
- past_participle
- grown up
- present_participle
- growing up