Growing up is something we all do. It means learning new things, making choices, and changing over time. Sometimes, adults and kids use special phrases to talk about these changes. These phrases are called idioms. Idioms are not meant to be taken word for word. Instead, they have a meaning that people understand when used in everyday talk.
For example, someone might say, “He’s finding his feet,” when they mean someone is getting better at something new. These idioms help people explain growing up in fun and simple ways. In this article, you will learn some idioms that talk about growing up. They will help you understand others better and use cool expressions in your own speaking and writing. Let’s look at what these idioms mean and how we use them.
Idioms about Growing Up
1. Grow up
Meaning: To become an adult or mature.
Give an Instance: It’s time to grow up and take responsibility.
Substitute Meaning: Mature / Act responsibly.
2. Come of age
Meaning: To reach adulthood or maturity.
Give an Instance: She came of age and started making her own decisions.
Substitute Meaning: Become an adult / Reach maturity.
3. Fly the nest
Meaning: To leave one’s parents’ home to live independently.
Give an Instance: After college, he flew the nest and moved to New York.
Substitute Meaning: Leave home / Become independent.
4. Spread one’s wings
Meaning: To try new things or become more independent.
Give an Instance: She spread her wings by traveling alone for the first time.
Substitute Meaning: Explore / Gain independence.
5. Cut the apron strings
Meaning: To become independent from one’s parents.
Give an Instance: It’s time to cut the apron strings and live on your own.
Substitute Meaning: Gain independence / Separate from parents.
6. Find one’s feet
Meaning: To become comfortable in a new situation.
Give an Instance: Starting middle school was tough, but I eventually found my feet.
Substitute Meaning: Adjust / Settle in.
7. Come into one’s own
Meaning: To become confident or successful in a particular area.
Give an Instance: After joining the debate team, he came into his own.
Substitute Meaning: Thrive / Excel.
8. Learn the ropes
Meaning: To understand how to do a new job or activity.
Give an Instance: It took a few weeks to learn the ropes at my new school.
Substitute Meaning: Get the hang of it / Understand the process.
9. Take the plunge
Meaning: To decide to do something important or difficult.
Give an Instance: She took the plunge and joined the soccer team.
Substitute Meaning: Go for it / Make a big decision.
10. Bite the bullet
Meaning: To do something unpleasant that is necessary.
Give an Instance: He bit the bullet and apologized to his friend.
Substitute Meaning: Face the music / Do what’s needed.
11. Face the music
Meaning: To accept the consequences of one’s actions.
Give an Instance: After breaking the vase, she had to face the music.
Substitute Meaning: Accept responsibility / Deal with the outcome.
12. Learn the hard way
Meaning: To learn through experience, often by making mistakes.
Give an Instance: He learned the hard way not to procrastinate on homework.
Substitute Meaning: Gain wisdom through mistakes / Experience teaches.
13. Grow a backbone
Meaning: To become brave or assertive.
Give an Instance: She grew a backbone and stood up to the bully.
Substitute Meaning: Be courageous / Stand up for oneself.
14. Grow apart
Meaning: To become less close over time.
Give an Instance: After moving to different cities, they grew apart.
Substitute Meaning: Drift away / Lose connection.
15. Grow out of
Meaning: To stop doing something as one matures.
Give an Instance: He grew out of his fear of the dark.
Substitute Meaning: Leave behind / Mature beyond.
16. Act one’s age
Meaning: To behave in a manner appropriate to one’s age.
Give an Instance: Stop being silly and act your age.
Substitute Meaning: Behave maturely / Be responsible.
17. Age before beauty
Meaning: A humorous way to let older people go first.
Give an Instance: “You go ahead age before beauty,” he joked.
Substitute Meaning: Respect elders / Let seniors go first.
18. Knee-high to a grasshopper
Meaning: Very young or small.
Give an Instance: I’ve known her since she was knee-high to a grasshopper.
Substitute Meaning: Tiny / Very young.
19. Wet behind the ears
Meaning: Inexperienced or new to something.
Give an Instance: He’s still wet behind the ears in his new job.
Substitute Meaning: Green / Novice.
20. Out of the nest
Meaning: Living independently from parents.
Give an Instance: She’s out of the nest and thriving on her own.
Substitute Meaning: Independent / On one’s own.
21. In the prime of life
Meaning: At one’s peak in terms of health or ability.
Give an Instance: Athletes often perform best in the prime of life.
Substitute Meaning: At one’s best / Peak condition.
22. Born with a silver spoon
Meaning: Born into a wealthy or privileged family.
Give an Instance: He was born with a silver spoon and never had to work.
Substitute Meaning: Privileged / Wealthy from birth.
23. Like father, like son
Meaning: Sons often resemble their fathers.
Give an Instance: He loves fishing like father, like son.
Substitute Meaning: Family resemblance / Similar traits.
24. Chip off the old block
Meaning: A person similar to their parent.
Give an Instance: She’s a chip off the old block, just like her mom.
Substitute Meaning: Resembles parent / Similar character.
25. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree
Meaning: Children resemble their parents.
Give an Instance: He’s just as kind the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Substitute Meaning: Family traits / Similar behavior.
26. Act your age
Meaning: Behave appropriately for one’s age.
Give an Instance: You’re too old for tantrums act your age.
Substitute Meaning: Be mature / Behave properly.
27. Old enough to know better
Meaning: Should be mature enough to avoid mistakes.
Give an Instance: You’re old enough to know better than to lie.
Substitute Meaning: Should be wiser / Expected maturity.
28. Sow one’s wild oats
Meaning: Engage in youthful indiscretions.
Give an Instance: He sowed his wild oats before settling down.
Substitute Meaning: Rebellious phase / Youthful adventures.
29. Young at heart
Meaning: Feeling youthful even when older.
Give an Instance: Grandpa still rides his bike and plays games he’s young at heart. / My teacher dances during music class; she’s really young at heart.
Substitute Meaning: Feels young / Playful spirit
30. Baby steps
Meaning: Small progress toward something big.
Give an Instance: I’m learning to draw taking baby steps. / He took baby steps to finish reading his first chapter book.
Substitute Meaning: Slow progress / Tiny effort
31. A coming-of-age moment
Meaning: A big event that shows growing up.
Give an Instance: Moving to middle school felt like a coming-of-age moment. / Her first solo trip was a coming-of-age moment.
Substitute Meaning: Big step / Growing-up milestone
32. At a crossroads
Meaning: Needing to make an important choice.
Give an Instance: She’s at a crossroads should she join the math club or the art club? / He was at a crossroads deciding between summer camp or visiting family.
Substitute Meaning: Big decision / Important choice
33. Get one’s act together
Meaning: To become organized and responsible.
Give an Instance: He got his act together and started doing homework on time. / I had to get my act together for the group project.
Substitute Meaning: Focus / Be responsible
34. Burn the candle at both ends
Meaning: Work too hard without rest.
Give an Instance: She stayed up late and woke up early all week burning the candle at both ends. / He did chores and homework nonstop.
Substitute Meaning: Overwork / No rest
35. Buckle down
Meaning: Start working hard.
Give an Instance: I buckled down before my spelling test. / He needs to buckle down and finish his science project.
Substitute Meaning: Focus / Work harder
36. A rite of passage
Meaning: An event that shows you are growing up.
Give an Instance: Going to middle school is a rite of passage. / Getting a locker felt like a rite of passage.
Substitute Meaning: Growing-up event / Big moment
37. From the ground up
Meaning: Start from the beginning and build.
Give an Instance: He built his LEGO tower from the ground up. / She started the dance team from the ground up.
Substitute Meaning: Build from scratch / Begin and grow
38. Blossom into
Meaning: Grow into something or someone better.
Give an Instance: She blossomed into a confident speaker. / He blossomed into a kind friend.
Substitute Meaning: Grow well / Improve
39. Test the waters
Meaning: Try something new carefully.
Give an Instance: He tested the waters by joining the art club. / I tested the waters with a new lunch table.
Substitute Meaning: Try it out / See how it goes
40. Stepping stone
Meaning: A small thing that helps reach something bigger.
Give an Instance: Student council is a stepping stone to being a school leader. / Learning math facts is a stepping stone to harder problems.
Substitute Meaning: Early step / First stage
41. The school of hard knocks
Meaning: Learning through life’s problems.
Give an Instance: She learned in the school of hard knocks after forgetting her lines on stage. / He found out the hard way that teamwork matters.
Substitute Meaning: Life lessons / Tough experience
42. Bigger fish to fry
Meaning: More important things to do.
Give an Instance: I’ll skip the game I’ve got bigger fish to fry with my project. / She said no to the party because she had bigger fish to fry.
Substitute Meaning: More important stuff / Bigger task
43. Take the reins
Meaning: Take control of something.
Give an Instance: She took the reins on the group project. / He took the reins during the school clean-up day.
Substitute Meaning: Take charge / Be the leader
44. Hit one’s stride
Meaning: Start doing something very well.
Give an Instance: He hit his stride in reading this year. / I hit my stride once I understood how to write essays.
Substitute Meaning: Do really well / Get the hang of it
45. Sink or swim
Meaning: Succeed or fail without help.
Give an Instance: I had to sink or swim on my first science fair. / She was new but had to sink or swim in gym class.
Substitute Meaning: Do it alone / Take your shot
Find the “Idioms About Growing Up”
Reading Passage
This year, fifth grade felt like a big deal. On the first day, Emily knew it was time to grow up a little. She had to find her feet in a new classroom with new classmates. Her best friend, Josh, seemed to come into his own right away by joining the science club. Emily, though, wanted to test the waters before jumping in.
During lunch, their teacher talked about the school play. Emily had never tried acting, but something inside her told her to take the plunge. Rehearsals were hard at first. She forgot lines and felt silly. But after a few weeks, she hit her stride and started to enjoy it. She even helped a shy classmate blossom into a great performer.
On the night of the play, Emily’s parents said it was her coming-of-age moment. She had cut the apron strings, learned to speak up, and felt proud. After the show, her teacher said, “Emily, you really took the reins tonight.” Emily smiled, knowing she wasn’t a little kid anymore.
Instructions for Students
Read the story again. Underline or list all the idioms about growing up you find in the passage.
Answer Key
- Grow up
- Find her feet
- Come into his own
- Test the waters
- Take the plunge
- Hit her stride
- Blossom into
- Coming-of-age moment
- Cut the apron strings
- Took the reins
Conclusion
Idioms about growing up help us talk about changes in a simple way. We all have times when we learn new things or take on more responsibility. These phrases show how we move from being little kids to becoming more grown-up.
By using idioms like “grow up” or “cut the apron strings,” we can make our talking and writing more interesting. These idioms are common and easy to understand. Try using some in your next story or conversation they help show what growing up really feels like.
