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View synonyms for growing pains

growing pains

plural noun

  1. dull, quasi-rheumatic pains of varying degree in the limbs during childhood and adolescence, often popularly associated with the process of growing.
  2. emotional difficulties experienced during adolescence and preadulthood.
  3. difficulties attending any new project or any rapid development of an existing project:

    a city plagued with growing pains.



growing pains

plural noun

  1. pains in muscles or joints sometimes experienced by children during a period of unusually rapid growth
  2. difficulties besetting a new enterprise in its early stages
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of growing pains1

First recorded in 1800–10
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Idioms and Phrases

Problems that arise in beginning or enlarging an enterprise, as in The company is undergoing growing pains but should be viable by next year . This expression, which dates from the late 1800s, originally referred to the joint and limb aches experienced by youngsters who are growing rapidly. By about 1900 it was being used figuratively.
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Example Sentences

The family navigates racism and growing pains without getting too heavy handed about it; farcical “interrogations” by immigration authorities including Pete Holmes provide additional comic relief.

That involvement should continue to climb in the coming weeks, as USC’s young receiving corps continues to work through growing pains.

USC’s offensive line has gone through its share of growing pains, while its quartet of sophomore receivers, all of whom were expected to step up, have been inconsistent.

He told Salon that Republicans were trying to detach their fortunes from Trump, albeit with some growing pains.

From Salon

Riley acknowledged the “growing pains” his left tackle is going through.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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