great-grandfather

American  

[greyt-gran-fah-ther, -grand-] / ˌgreɪtˈgrænˌfɑ ðər, -ˈgrænd- /

noun

1. a grandfather of one's father or mother.

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Usage

What does great-grandfather mean? A great-grandfather is the father of a person’s grandparent (the grandfather of a person’s parent). When a father’s child has their own children, that father becomes a grandfather. When those children have their own children, he becomes a great-grandfather. Should great-grandfather be capitalized?Great-grandfather should be capitalized when it’s used as a proper name, as in Please tell Great-grandfather that I miss him. But great-grandfather does not need to be capitalized when it’s simply used as a way to refer to him, as in Please tell my great-grandfather that I miss him. Example: My kids were lucky enough to get to know three of their great-grandfathers.

Etymology

Origin of great-grandfather

First recorded in 1505–15

Example Sentences

He looked closely - it was of the little boy's great-grandfather, Stephen Andrew, who had pulled Gareth to safety on that fateful day.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

"My great-grandfather was a steelworker, my grandfather was a steelworker, and then basically all my uncles from the next generation down were in the steelworks as well."

From BBC • May 31, 2026

Honoring her great-grandfather Cole Grove with the canary metaphor of the former, both songs celebrate personal salvation.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Prosser’s son, who has two children, has been absent for the death of his great-grandfather, his sister’s divorce and his brother’s health problems during the Ford’s current deployment, his father said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

‘You never know – these boxes might be full of wigs and outfits. Maybe your great-grandfather was an international spy.’

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler