How to Use adult in a Sentence

adult

1 of 3 adjective
  • We need to approach this in an adult way.
  • Goodall kept the plush chimp close throughout her adult life.
    — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Jan. 2020
  • For the first time in my adult life, I was trapped in my home.
    — Anchorage Daily News, 21 Dec. 2019
  • Most of these critters will never reach adult life and learn to fly.
    — Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson, WSJ, 20 June 2019
  • The new arrivals weigh about 550 pounds each, about half their adult weight.
    — Steve Rubenstein, SFChronicle.com, 3 Mar. 2020
  • Maria had constant battles with cancer most of her adult life.
    — courant.com, 21 Mar. 2018
  • Thomas said she had never been yelled at before in public in her adult life.
    — Tribune Content Agency, al.com, 21 July 2019
  • David has two adult children and two grandchildren with a third on the way.
    — Taylor M. Riley, The Courier-Journal, 1 Mar. 2018
  • Here’s what some folks had to say on what parents owe (or don’t owe) their adult children.
    — Michelle Singletary, BostonGlobe.com, 6 July 2018
  • White continued to commit crimes and has spent much of his adult life in prison.
    — David Owens, courant.com, 22 June 2018
  • Margie and her husband, Mike, have two adult children with autism.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 June 2019
  • Through high school and into adult life, music would play a profound role.
    — OregonLive.com, 21 Dec. 2017
  • Rear-seat occupants get their own chairs, and the leg- and headroom is adult grade.
    — Tony Quiroga, Car and Driver, 18 Mar. 2020
  • Kittens are adopt-one-get-one-free and adult dogs are 50 percent off.
    — Deasia Paige, Detroit Free Press, 22 June 2018
  • If a religion is any good, for that matter, there should be room enough for adult doubt, too.
    — Catherine Cusick, Longreads, 21 Feb. 2018
  • He is survived by his wife Yvose Bernard and three adult children.
    — Linda Trischitta, Sun-Sentinel.com, 14 June 2018
  • In a way, my adult life as a novelist isn’t all that different.
    — Joe Fassler, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2019
  • The 23-year-old man's adult girlfriend and a 3-year-old child were in the house with him.
    — Kevin Crowe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 23 Dec. 2017
  • Franklin’s mother and two adult daughters also asked the judge for mercy.
    — Ashley Remkus | [email protected], al, 17 Oct. 2019
  • The couple had three adult children, as well as one child who attends school, the sheriff said.
    — Ashley Remkus, AL.com, 2 Apr. 2018
  • But neither Gary nor their two adult children was able to donate to Joan.
    — Stephanie Elam, CNN, 22 Dec. 2017
  • During the drive, the woman asked Chavez to call her adult daughter about the arrest.
    — Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post, 4 Sep. 2019
  • But even the descriptions of young and adult ragfish differ and converge.
    — Author: Kyle Clayton, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Feb. 2018
  • The citizenship of her now-adult children is not in jeopardy.
    — Adiel Kaplan, miamiherald, 9 July 2018
  • For much of his adult life, Patrick, who once dreamed of writing graphic novels, has had no job and no prospects.
    — Anchorage Daily News, 21 Jan. 2018
  • The two shared a sweet musical moment, trying to set aside their much more adult concerns of drug deals and gang wars.
    — Samantha Highfill, EW.com, 17 Dec. 2019
  • Kirsten Gillibrand is one of so many who was baptized Catholic but doesn’t practice in her adult life.
    — Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review, 2 Sep. 2019
  • Hunt's adult son, Ian, was caring for Midnight at his home at the time of the incident.
    — Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2020
  • Sheehan has spent much of his adult life in the Justice Center and has an attachment to it.
    — Peter Krouse, cleveland, 31 Dec. 2019
  • Males dusky sharks can grow up to 14 feet, which is about the size of a sub-adult white shark, according to Chapman.
    — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 1 June 2026

adult

2 of 3 noun
  • Her books appeal both to children and to adults.
  • People who are close friends as children aren't always friends as adults.
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult in the museum.
  • This film is for adults only. Minors are not admitted.
  • Only adults can purchase alcohol.
  • All kids must have an adult with them.
    — Melissa Grzybowski, Austin American Statesman, 27 Feb. 2026
  • An adult son was not home at the time.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
  • There are adults who find these things too scary!
    — Christa Carmen, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Making friends as an adult can be hard.
    — Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2026
  • Which adults are allowed to do.
    — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Many adults don’t go to a doctor.
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025
  • That child is now a married adult.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
  • First, an adult film at the theater.
    — Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Kids can travel free with an adult.
    — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 19 May 2026
  • And no adult has the patience for that.
    — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Not full-sized adults like me either.
    — New Atlas, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Rogers taught that to both children and adults.
    — Brooke Barnett, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 June 2026
  • The cloned voice is a grandchild or adult child.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
  • How much sugar should adults have in a day?
    — John Tufts, IndyStar, 6 Mar. 2026
  • The books may contain adult themes.
    — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The kids’ class comes before the adults’.
    — Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Adunagow is described as a male adult with brown hair and brown eyes.
    — Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
  • As adults, many of us are able to handle mean words, even lies.
    — Tierney McAfee, PEOPLE.com, 15 Mar. 2018
  • Kuhn, said her daughter has an adult son, who lives on his own.
    — Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 23 Dec. 2017
  • The child at the heart of the novel is an adult when the book opens.
    — Carmen Maria MacHado, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The adult son, whose name has not been released, died at the scene.
    — Star Tribune, 27 Aug. 2020
  • As the adults drank cocktails on the lawn, kids took runs down the hill.
    — Brent Crane, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2020
  • Club Calvi books may contain adult themes.
    — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 9 June 2026
  • Both are adults in their early 30s.
    — Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2026
  • Mostly to the adults who came over for dinner.
    — Literary Hub, 2 June 2026

adult

3 of 3 verb
  • Keck noted a housefly can go from egg to adult in about a week.
    — René A. Guzman, ExpressNews.com, 9 Dec. 2020
  • The face, more squarely adult now, has a certitude in the jaw and an impatience in the eyes.
    — Nathan Heller, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The post featured glimpses of Robert as a baby, toddler, young boy and now adult snuggling up with the reptile.
    — Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
  • How did the team figure out that juvenile cowbirds are attracted to adult females of the species?
    — Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
  • The state law, passed in 2023, sought to prevent venues from admitting children to adult live performances.
    — Jim Saunders, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
  • There is a youth mental health unit for children ages 5 to 17 and adult mental health and substance use stabilization units.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
  • That’s because airbags are calibrated to adult bodies weighing around 150 pounds.
    — Diana Hubbell, Popular Science, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Dust that is drawn to adult humans and lights up a mysterious city from another world lying just beyond the Northern Lights.
    — Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
  • But adult child-older parent relationships can be riddled with exasperation on both sides.
    — Ashley Milne-Tyte, NPR, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Varsha’s eyes are blazing, not with frustration or peevishness, which would not have been untoward in a child of her age, but with an anger that seems almost adult in its intensity.
    — Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
  • During the visit, officers located 28 dogs, ranging from young puppies to adult mixed breed terriers.
    — Tim Fang, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
  • There are also many examples of specimens ranging from young to adult pterosaurs, as expected of a local population, Smyth said.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The main trails are designed for ages 7 to adult and there is an Adventure Playground with low-to-the-ground experiences for ages 3 to 6.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026
  • In January 2026, twin males were born to adult female Mafuko in the park’s Bageni family.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
  • The company is complying with that requirement, including restricting its direct-messaging option to adult users.
    — PC Magazine, 23 Aug. 2025
  • The Botas Attack 181 come in a wide variety of sizes, from children to adult, and offer durable, reliable construction for first-timers.
    — Popular Science, 4 Mar. 2021
  • In March, the FDA released its first-ever guidance to industry on flavors, stating that menthol, coffee, mint and spice flavors could have a role in appealing to adult smokers.
    — CBS News, 6 May 2026
  • The Phoenix Zoo is bringing back its Roars & Pours adult social gathering after 18 months of it being discontinued during the pandemic.
    — Shanti Lerner, The Arizona Republic, 13 Nov. 2021
  • These factors, especially when they are repeated, predispose children to adult psychological disorders, alcoholism, and acts of violence.
    — Dr. James S. Gordon, Time, 18 Dec. 2025
  • Now, after 10 years of perfect sweetness, the brand is ready to adult-up, as Agnès Varda’s heroine Cléo did while impatiently awaiting her medical diagnosis.
    — Denni Hu, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2025
  • The pups were born this year to adult members of the Beyem Seyo pack, which settled in Sierra Valley, about 100 miles northeast of Sacramento in Plumas and Sierra counties.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The Alternative Programs offers no-cash-bail alternatives to incarceration for youth and adult non-violent offenders in South Florida.
    — Najahe Sherman, CBS News, 12 May 2026
  • Thousands of minors have been married off in Colorado in recent years under this loophole, almost all of them girls wed to adult men, according to data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
    — Fraidy Reiss, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
  • At that hearing, Alex Adams, supervising deputy district attorney for the juvenile justice unit in the District Attorney’s Office, informed the judge of their motion to transfer the defendant to adult criminal court for prosecution.
    — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2026
  • That job, from 2004-06 at Fabulous 690 (KRLA) playing exactly those standards — a range of music from the Great American Songbook to adult contemporary (think George Gershwin to Frank Sinatra to Michael Bublé) — became Simon’s pathway to SiriusXM.
    — Jeff Metcalfe, AZCentral.com, 8 Dec. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adult.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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