grow up

become an adult

A2

What does "grow up" mean?

To grow up means to go through the natural process of getting older and more mature, from being a child to becoming an adult. It describes what happens to a person over time as they develop physically, emotionally, and socially. You can talk about where someone grew up, what their life was like during that time, or what they became as a result. For example, growing up in a big city is a very different experience from growing up in a small village. It is one of the most common phrasal verbs in English and can be used in almost any situation or type of writing.

Examples

How to use it

grow up in + place

Use this pattern to say where someone spent their childhood years.

My grandmother grew up in a small village in the mountains.

grow up to be + person/role

Use this pattern to describe what someone became after maturing.

She grew up to be a very talented musician.

grow up with + person/thing

Use this pattern to describe who or what was part of someone's childhood.

He grew up with three brothers, so the house was always loud.

grow up + adjective/adverb (fast, quickly, poor, happy...)

Use an adjective or adverb directly after 'grow up' to describe how or in what conditions someone matured.

The children grew up quickly after the family moved abroad.

growing up (as a noun phrase)

The '-ing' form can be used as a noun phrase to talk about the experience of childhood in general.

Growing up in a large family taught me a lot about sharing.

Common Collocations

grow up fastgrow up in (a place)grow up to begrow up togethergrow up withgrow up without

Common Mistakes

Using the passive voice

'Grow up' describes what a person does themselves, so it cannot be used in the passive. Use an active construction with the person as the subject.

✗ I was grown up in Rome.
✓ I grew up in Rome.
Confusing 'grow up' with 'bring up'

'Grow up' is what the child does, while 'bring up' is what a parent or caregiver does. They describe the same period of life but from different perspectives.

✗ My aunt grew up me in the countryside.
✓ My aunt brought me up in the countryside. / I grew up in the countryside.

Usage

Completely neutral in register and used in all contexts from casual chat to formal writing. The imperative 'Grow up!' is a common informal expression meaning 'stop being immature', which is very different in tone from the literal meaning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can 'grow up' have an object? For example, can I say 'She grew up her children in Canada'?

No, 'grow up' never takes an object. It only describes what the person maturing does themselves, so the person growing is always the subject. If you want to talk about a parent raising a child, use 'bring up' instead — for example, 'She brought up her children in Canada.'

Does 'grow up' always mean getting older from childhood to adulthood?

In most cases, yes — it describes the process of maturing over time. However, when used as a command ('Oh, grow up!'), it means something quite different: it's asking someone to stop acting in an immature or silly way. That use is informal and has a very different tone, so pay attention to the context.

Is it natural to use 'growing up' as a noun phrase, like 'Growing up was fun'?

Yes, this is very common and natural in English. 'Growing up' can act like a noun to talk about the experience of childhood in general. You will often see it at the start of a sentence, as in 'Growing up near the beach was amazing.'

What is the difference between 'grow up' and 'grow into'?

'Grow up' describes the general process of maturing from a child into an adult. 'Grow into' means to develop into a particular role, skill, or even a piece of clothing over time — for example, 'She grew into her role as team leader.' They are related but not interchangeable.

Ready to practise?

Practise 1,000+ English phrasal verbs with interactive gap-fill exercises.

Start Practising →