# grow up

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/grow-up
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To stop acting as or like a child (often used as an imperative interjection).

## Examples

- You need to grow up and take responsibility for your actions.
- Stop crying about the small scratch on your car and grow up.
- You should grow up and apologize for your rude behavior.
- When he started making silly jokes during the serious meeting, his manager told him it was time to grow up.
- My brother finally decided to grow up and move into his own apartment after living with our parents for ten years.
- She realized she had to grow up quickly when she became the main person in charge of the family business.
- Despite his advanced age, he refused to grow up, preferring to spend his days chasing fleeting pleasures rather than addressing the realities of his life.

## Origin

The term is a dissimilation of the Middle English *upgrowen*, which followed the Germanic pattern of placing the adverbial particle before the verb. The modern arrangement, established by the Early Modern English period, reversed the elements to the current phrasal verb structure.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.