INDEX:
1. adult
2. to become an adult
3. the time when someone is an adult
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ CHILD
↑ BABY
young person who is almost an adult : ↑ YOUNG (4)
films, books about sex : ↑ SEX
see also
↑ OLD
↑ YOUNG
◆◆◆
1. adult
▷ adult /ˈædʌlt, əˈdʌlt/ [countable noun]
someone who is no longer a child - use this to talk about someone who is at least 18 :
▪ The cost of the trip is $59 for adults and $30 for children.
▪ Since I left school, my parents have started to treat me like an adult.
▪ Children cannot be admitted to the museum unless they are accompanied by an adult.
adult [adjective only before noun]
▪ The book is intended for adult readers.
▪ Over 30% of the adult population were illiterate.
▪ The government has announced plans to increase spending on adult education.
▷ grown-up /ˌgrəʊn ˈʌp◂/ [countable noun]
an adult - used especially by children or when you are talking to children :
▪ Grown-ups are so boring! All they ever do is talk!
▪ At home there was always a grown-up to turn to if you were in trouble.
grown-up /ˈgrəʊn ʌp/ [adjective]
▪ She has three grown-up sons.
▪ Our children are all grown-up now.
▪ This was the first grown-up party she’d ever been to.
▷ grown man/woman /ˌgrəʊn ˈmæn, ˈwʊmən/ [countable noun]
an adult man or woman - used especially when you think someone is not behaving in the way an adult should behave :
▪ Elsie had never seen a grown man cry before.
▪ He' s a grown man - he should be able to cook for himself!
▪ She’s crazy -- a grown woman letting a girl order her around like that.
▷ full-grown/fully grown /ˌfʊl ˈgrəʊn◂, ˌfʊli-/ [adjective]
a full-grown or fully grown animal has reached its full adult size :
▪ A full-grown blue whale may be up to 30 metres long.
▪ Many of these animals die before they are fully grown.
▪ Will my tank be big enough for all these fish when they are fully grown?
2. to become an adult
▷ grow up /ˌgrəʊ ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
▪ What do you want to be when you grow up?
▪ We plan to go and live in Florida when the children have all grown up.
▷ mature /məˈtʃʊəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
to become fully grown or developed :
▪ Girls tend to mature more quickly than boys, both physically and emotionally.
▪ The fly matures in only seven days.
▷ come of age /ˌkʌm əv ˈeɪdʒ/ [verb phrase]
to reach the age when you have the legal rights and responsibilities of an adult, usually 18 or 21 - used in legal contexts :
▪ Emma will inherit a fortune when she comes of age.
▪ They planned to marry as soon as she came of age.
3. the time when someone is an adult
▷ adult life /ˌædʌlt ˈlaɪf/ [uncountable noun]
the part of someone’s life when they are an adult :
▪ He has spent most of his adult life in the States.
▷ adulthood /ˈædʌlthʊd, əˈdʌlthʊd/ [uncountable noun]
the time when someone is an adult - use this especially to talk about people reaching this time :
▪ Children with the disease have little chance of surviving to adulthood.
reach adulthood
▪ Nowadays young people want to leave home as soon as they reach adulthood.
▷ maturity /məˈtʃʊ ə rɪti, məˈtʃʊ ə rəti/ [uncountable noun]
if a person, animal, or plant reaches maturity, they have grown or developed completely :
reach maturity
▪ The plant reaches maturity after two years.
▪ Sharks take 10 years to reach maturity.