# grow up

CEFR A2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/grow-up
Updated: 2026-10-22

## Definition

To change from a child into an adult. You can also use this to tell someone to stop acting like a child and be more serious.

For teachers: To advance from childhood to maturity. The verb is intransitive and functions as a complete predicate without a direct object.

## Examples

- My daughter wants to be a doctor when she grows up.
- Although he grew up in a wealthy family, he preferred to live a simple life in the countryside.
- The protagonist's struggle to grow up in a war-torn country serves as the central theme of the novel, highlighting the rapid loss of innocence.

## Pitfalls

- Not "She grew up her kids on a farm." but "She raised her kids on a farm." — 'Grow up' is intransitive and describes the child's development, whereas 'raise' or 'bring up' describes the parent's action.

## Usage notes

- This phrase is intransitive, so you cannot use it with an object.
- Teaching tip: Distinguish between the intransitive 'grow up' for the child's experience and the transitive 'bring up' or 'raise' for the parent's actions.

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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.