adult
adjective
\ ə-ˈdəlt
, ˈa-ˌdəlt
\
, ˈa-ˌdəlt
\
Definition of adult
(Entry 1 of 3)
adult
nounDefinition of adult (Entry 2 of 3)
: one that is adult
especially
: a human being after an age (such as 21) specified by law
adult
verb
adulted;
adulting;
adults
Definition of adult (Entry 3 of 3)
informal
1
: to behave like an adult : to attend to the ordinary tasks required of a responsible adult
Do we really have to adult today?— Lauren Merola Stop complaining that you have to adult today. Being an adult is awesome.— Suzanne Lucas Learning how to "adult" is a necessity for these college freshmen in order to figure out new medication schedules and if their parents' insurance will cover impromptu ER visits.— Meredith Newman
2
: to become an adult
It could be something small, like bailing on your friends at the last second. Or something bigger, like not showing up for work. Whatever the case may be, it's a sign you haven't fully "adulted" if you constantly slack off on your responsibilities.— Carolyn Steber But there is one real benefit to growing older and adulting: We essentially get to do whatever we want to do.— Sharon Pope
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Other Words from adult
Adjective
adulthood
\ ə-ˈdəlt-ˌhu̇d
\
noun
\
noun
adultly
\ ə-ˈdəlt-lē
, ˈa-ˌdəlt- \
adverb
, ˈa-ˌdəlt- \
adverb
adultness
\ ə-ˈdəlt-nəs
, ˈa-ˌdəlt- \
noun
, ˈa-ˌdəlt- \
noun
Noun
adultlike
\ ə-ˈdəlt-ˌlīk
\
adjective
\
adjective
Verb
adulting
noun
True financial adulting goes beyond paying your bills on time. It's also about planning for the future.
— Mary Crawley
Adulting does not have to be scary. Some students … feel as though they are comfortable with their ability to live on their own. But for those who do not, Residence Life at Elizabethtown College will hold another series of adulting sessions after Spring Break. These will be open to all students to try to help ease the transition out of college.
— Meghan Kenney
Synonyms & Antonyms for adult
Synonyms: Adjective
Synonyms: Noun
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of adult in a Sentence
Adjective
preparing children for adult life We need to approach this in an adult way.Noun
Her books appeal both to children and to adults. Children must be accompanied by an adult in the museum. Only adults can purchase alcohol. This film is for adults only. Minors are not admitted. People who are close friends as children aren't always friends as adults. studying interactions between young birds and adults
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Most of her adult life was dedicated to supporting projects in Israel through her work in Hadassah and the Jewish Federation. — courant.com, "Bernice C. Veroff," 19 Aug. 2019 Her sons both left China and have lived most of their adult lives elsewhere – Haiyan (Tzi Ma), Billi’s father, in America, and the other in Japan. — Lindsey Bahr, Detroit Free Press, "‘The Farewell’ is a bittersweet family story," 25 July 2019 Thomas said she had never been yelled at before in public in her adult life. — Tribune Content Agency, al.com, "Black, pregnant Georgia lawmaker told to ‘go back where you came from’," 21 July 2019 Both 41, the Chula Vista couple were childhood sweethearts who grew up together in Bonita, but spent most of their adult lives thousands of miles apart in other relationships until a chance phone call brought them together again in 2017. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Music therapy brings unity, hope to family with child on hospice," 10 July 2019 As detailed in a recent feature story from ESPN, Brian has spent most of his adult life in prison. — Andrew Joseph, For The Win, "The heartbreaking story behind Megan Rapinoe's birthday shoutout to Brian," 7 July 2019 Warren may face the accusation that her speeches have a lecturing tone, but for most of her adult life, she’s been employed in a job that involves giving lectures. — Annalisa Merelli, Quartz, "Elizabeth Warren’s coverage proves the media learned nothing from 2016," 24 June 2019 Most of these critters will never reach adult life and learn to fly. — Anne Sverdrup-thygeson, WSJ, "The Bugs We Can’t Live Without," 20 June 2019 As someone who’s spent her adult life traipsing in and out of locker rooms and press conferences, the mystique surrounding athletes gets lost on me. — Joan Niesen, SI.com, "St. Louis Blues' Stanley Cup Parade Felt Like Redemption," 16 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Deer, each of which can host thousands of adult ticks that will collectively lay millions of eggs. — BostonGlobe.com, "Should we use genetic engineering to prevent Lyme disease?," 23 Aug. 2019 That’s why our initiative creates the strongest regulations on any adult product in San Francisco. — Catherine Ho, SFChronicle.com, "‘Say no to Juul’: Pelosi slams SF vaping ballot measure," 22 Aug. 2019 But as the Olsens graduated from Full House, their empire matured to include tween entertainment and, later, their understated adult fashion line the Row. — Jamie Lauren Keiles, Time, "'What Do People Want Me to Do? Wear Black Every Day?': How Child Star JoJo Siwa Built Her Sparkly Empire," 22 Aug. 2019 The only thing left to do is cancel all of your commitments, cash in your remaining vacation days, go AWOL on adult responsibilities, and hightail it to the beach. — Bon Appétit, "Top 10 Beach Snacks According to Me," 22 Aug. 2019 Flores and the other children alleged they were housed in brutal conditions, in razor wired-fenced facilities with adult men and women, while being subjected to abuse and routine strip searches. — CBS News, "Trump administration to detain migrant families and children for far longer with new rule," 21 Aug. 2019 More background: Kentucky State Fair to require minors to have adult supervision after possible shooting Lucas Aulbach can be reached at laulbach@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4649 or on Twitter @LucasAulbach. — Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, "Gaslight Festival shifts policy on unaccompanied minors after state fair shooting scare," 21 Aug. 2019 Longtime sled hockey players, including many who participated in an exhibition tournament featuring adult teams backed by the Ducks, Kings and Vegas Golden Knights helped the newcomers adjust to their surroundings and the sensation of speed. — Los Angeles Times, "Ducks’ sled hockey events empower athletes with disabilities," 21 Aug. 2019 There are only 120 to 230 adult panthers in the population and they are listed on the Endangered Species Act. — Amanda Jackson, CNN, "Florida officials are investigating why panthers are seen stumbling and falling down," 20 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adult.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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