grandfather

American  

[gran-fah-ther, grand-] / ˈgrænˌfɑ ðər, ˈgrænd- /

noun

• grandfathers
  plural

1. the father of one's father or mother.

2. a forefather.

3. the founder or originator of a family, species, type, etc.; the first of one's or its kind, or the one being longest in existence.

   the grandfather of all steam locomotives.

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verb (used with object)

1. to exempt (something or someone) from new legislation, restrictions, or requirements.

   The law grandfathered all banks already operating at the time of passage. He was grandfathered into the pension plan.

grandfather British  

/ ˈɡrænd-, ˈɡrænˌfɑːðə /

noun

1. the father of one's father or mother

2. (often plural) a male ancestor

3. (often capital) a familiar term of address for an old man

4. dialect a caterpillar or woodlouse

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• grandfathers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of grandfather

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at grand-, father

Explanation

Your grandfather is the father of one of your parents. If your grandfather is quite old and has dozens of grandchildren, it might be hard for him to remember your birthday every year. Everyone has two biological grandfathers, whether they've had the chance to know them or not. In some families, grandmothers and grandfathers are involved in raising and caring for their grandchildren, while in others a grandfather may have died or live very far away. Informally, a grandfather can also be someone who started or invented something: "Blues musician Robert Johnson was the grandfather of rock and roll."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grandfather grandfathers

For Arendt’s grandfather Max, Mr. Meyer writes, Zionism punctured the belief that “one could be on an equal footing as a Jew, as a citizen, and as a German.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

My grandmother made holiday decorations for the house, and my grandfather worked with leather, making jackets and boots.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Christopher Schurtz believes it is a reference to his grandfather.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Abdul, who never met his grandfather, was chasing Uganda's first Commonwealth boxing medal since Auckland in 1990 - something which would have been guaranteed had he beaten Thomas.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

“It’s not useless,” his grandfather said, apparently reading his mind.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

But for most of my life, they felt like the domain of grandfathers, finance bros and people who knew what vermouth was without having to Google it.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

“We’re asking airmen to strap into jets that their grandfathers, fathers and now they are flying, and it is time for a reset,” said Doug Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

She acknowledged that it was still "not enough" and promised a "special plan for our grandfathers and grandmothers."

From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026

But neither of his grandfathers had much; his father has a receding hairline.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026

There are always other people waiting, some possibly even waiting for their grandfathers too, but for different reasons.

From "Sunny" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• ancestor
• grandpa
• patriarch