Meaning trap

grow up

become an adult

To change from being a child to being an adult, both physically and mentally.

phrasal verbB1core

Don't mix these meanings

Same phrase, different job.

become an adult

To change from being a child to being an adult, both physically and mentally.

grow up (stop behaving childishly)

Another meaning of 'grow up' is 'stop behaving childishly'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.

Notice where the phrase sounds natural.

I grew up in a small town by the sea.daily life
When I was a child, I grew up with my grandparents, so family has always been important to me.IELTS speaking

Pattern: grow up (somewhere/with someone)

WrongI grew up in a farm.

RightI grew up on a farm.

'Grow up ON a farm' (but 'IN a town/city').

Patterngrow up (somewhere/with someone)

Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.

Stiff I was raised in a small coastal village.

Natural I grew up in a small coastal village.

'Grow up' is the natural verb for where you spent childhood. 'Was raised' works but is more formal and shifts focus to the carer.

Words that usually travel with it.

'Grow up' is about becoming older and more mature, not about increasing in size.

grow up (stop behaving childishly) — Another meaning of 'grow up' is 'stop behaving childishly'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.