adult

noun
UK: /əˈdʌlt/
US: /əˈdʌlt/

  1. A fully grown person.

    1. Only adults are allowed to watch this movie in the cinema. [ ] [ ]
    2. The adult population is increasingly concerned about the rising cost of living. [ ] [ ]

  2. An animal that is fully grown.

    1. The adult birds feed their young worms and insects. [ ] [ ]
    2. Adult salmon return to their birthplace to spawn every year. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

mature grown-up full-grown
adult adjective

  1. Fully grown or developed.

    1. She works as an adult educator teaching evening classes. [ ] [ ]
    2. Adult literacy programs are essential for community development. [ ] [ ]

  2. Relating to or intended for adults.

    1. This shop sells adult clothing for both men and women. [ ] [ ]
    2. The film received an adult rating due to its violent content. [ ] [ ]
adult intransitive-verb

  1. To grow into an adult.

    1. The caterpillar will adult into a beautiful butterfly. [ ] [ ]
    2. He needed to adult and take responsibility for his actions. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "adult" in English means: A fully grown person., An animal that is fully grown..

The phonetic transcription of "adult" is /əˈdʌlt/ in British English and /əˈdʌlt/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "adult": mature, grown-up, full-grown.

Example usage of "adult": "Only adults are allowed to watch this movie in the cinema.". More examples on the page.