grandchild

American  

[gran-chahyld] / ˈgrænˌtʃaɪld /

noun

plural

grandchildren

1. a child of one's son or daughter.

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grandchild British  

/ ˈɡrænˌtʃaɪld /

noun

1. the son or daughter of one's child

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Etymology

Origin of grandchild

First recorded in 1580–90; grand- + child

Explanation

If you have a grandparent, you are a grandchild. You are the grandchild of your mother’s and father’s parents. If you have a grandchild, your son or daughter had a baby. Congratulations. A person becomes a grandparent when their kid has their first baby, and that baby is the grandparent’s grandchild. Boys are often called "grandsons," and girls "granddaughters," but both are also grandchildren. Grandchild uses the family or genealogical sense of the prefix grand-, which first meant "a generation older than," and since Elizabethan times has also meant "a generation younger than."

Example Sentences

The baby will be a fifth grandchild for the princess's father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

The result is that part or all of the inheritance passes to someone else, often a child or grandchild.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

I have 16 aunts and uncles who lived to adulthood and am the oldest of four children born to my parents — but my dad has just one grandchild and probably isn’t getting any more.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

Time with your grandchild is meaningful, and it’s clear you would consider it an honor.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 4, 2026

We were about to celebrate the birth of our first grandchild.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove