# grow up

Pronunciation: say "groh UP" US /ɡɹoʊ ˈʌp/, UK /ɡɹəʊ ˈʌp/

## Phrasal verb

1. To mature from a child into an adult.
   - Simple: To get older and become an adult.
   - _He grew up speaking both Spanish and English at home._
   - _Parents always say their kids grow up too fast._
2. To stop behaving like a child, often said as a command.
   - Simple: To stop acting like a little kid, often said as an order.
   - _It's time the two owners grew up and stopped feuding in public._
   - _Will you both grow up and quit fighting over the remote?_
4. To come into existence and develop, often to the point of flourishing.
   - Simple: To start and then get bigger and stronger over time.
   - _A lively café culture grew up in the neighborhood after the university opened._
   - _New industries tend to grow up wherever cheap power is available._

## Interjection

3. Said to criticize someone's childish behavior, especially behavior thought unreasonable for their age.
   - Simple: Said to tell someone to stop acting like a little child.
   - _You're still angry about a board game from last week? Grow up._
   - _Grow up, Kevin, you can't keep blaming your parents for everything at forty._

## Origin

Dissimilated from Middle English upgrowen.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/grow-up (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).