growing pains

plural noun

1
: pains in the legs of growing children having no demonstrable relation to growth
2
: the stresses and strains attending a new project or development

Examples of growing pains in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Yet the major takeaway from this season is arguably the humbling of Diana Taverner, whose ascendancy to First Desk resulted in some growing pains, to say the least. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026 Todd Monken didn't expect there would be as many growing pains with the Cleveland Browns' offense as there have been through six games. — ABC News, 19 Oct. 2026 And by the time the rest of us can afford an Nvidia machine — Nvidia says Spark is a family of products with lower-cost versions in the works — perhaps early growing pains will be ironed out. — Sean Hollister, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026 Chicago Public Schools’ 21-member board is among the largest in the country, and its shift from decades of mayoral control to a hybrid body has at times brought growing pains. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for growing pains

Word History

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of growing pains was in 1810

Rhymes for growing pains

See All Rhymes for growing pains

Browse Nearby Words

growing consensus
growing pains
growing point
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Cite this Entry

“Growing pains.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/growing%20pains. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

growing pains

plural noun
1
: pains in the legs of growing children having no proven relation to growth
2
: difficulties that accompany something new
a business going through growing pains

Medical Definition

growing pains

noun plural
grow·​ing pains ˈgrō-iŋ-ˌpānz How to pronounce growing pains (audio)
: pains occurring in the legs of growing children having no demonstrable relation to growth
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