to grow up
∞
1.3
- phrasal verb
- /ɡroʊ ʌp/
:
hacerse mayor
- What do you want to be when you grow up?
- children grow up
- grow up in a family
- grow up at home
We taught the children, the children grew up and they voted.
- We taught the children, the children grew up and they voted.
- So ANYWAYS, I know you grew up in Fort Hood, TX.
- It's the place that I grew up in and still live.
- I, I think I, I grew up playing team sports.
- You said, son, when you grow up you'll be fine.
- And so his son grew up to be a drummer.
- I don't think that anyone can truly grow up until they have kids.
- And, you know, like, so we grew up with Rocky, right?
- Then you have kids, Then they grow up and they need driver's Ed.
- But life was difficult growing up, very difficult.
- This is where I grew up in Oklahoma.
- It was so strange because I grew up in this small town.
- I wasn't a fan growing up till right before then.
- And then sort of watching a child grow up felt such a blessing.
- Yeah, well, I grew up in Woodford Green in Essex.
- Well, Speaking of growing up, we both grew up in the business.
- And for me, I grew up in Miami, melting pot.
- So am I correct that you did not grow up speaking English at home?
Examples
-
Community service has been a normal part of growing up for many of today's college students.
Academic text (2013) -
I can't believe you grew up around here.
-
I am a product of the 1960s and grew up in a Southern city.
Academic text (2017) -
Our middle school general music students will grow up to be parents, voters, and consumers of music.
Academic text (2011) -
It was so strange because I grew up in this small town.
-
I never had pets growing up, and we're a guinea pig family now.
Academic text (2013) -
Born and raised in Scotland, I grew up on the stories of Robert Louis Stevenson.
Academic text (2008) -
Carrie is also relatively close to home, as she grew up about an hour away from Midwestern.
Academic text (2015) -
The fourth of six sisters, Valeria grew up surrounded by family in a rural region of El Salvador.
Academic text (2013) -
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Synonyms
∞
2.1
Become more mature in feelings and behavior
905
1.6
To grow or change slowly to become more mature
91
3.5
To become fully grown or developed
26
3.7
To reach the age when a person legally becomes an adult
10
3.8
Gradually grow into a better or more mature form
1
3.7
To grow and become more confident or successful
How Mature
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning ‘to reach adulthood’ is directly and compositionally derived from 'grow' (to increase or develop) combined with 'up' (indicating increase, completion, or movement to a higher state). This verb+particle construction is a common, productive pattern in English and similar concepts exist in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Grow up comes from the simple picture of a child getting taller like a plant: the child grows and moves up toward full size. So, Grow up means 'to reach adulthood'.