grandpa
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does grandpa mean? Grandpa is an informal word for grandfather—the father of a person’s parent.When a father’s child has their own children, that father becomes a grandpa. The word pa is an informal way to say father.Grandpa is often combined with a name, especially when a person has two grandfathers that they call Grandpa, as in Grandpa Carl andGrandpa Frank. Should grandpa be capitalized?Grandpa should be capitalized when it’s used as a proper name, as in Please tell Grandpa that I miss him. But grandpa does not need to be capitalized when it’s simply used as a way to refer to him, as in Please tell my grandpa that I miss him. Example: It doesn’t matter what you call your grandpa, as long as you call him.
Etymology
Origin of grandpa
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"The world truly lost an icon and I lost my grandpa."
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
My grandpa retired at 70 after working as a missionary for most of his life and later at a national laboratory.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026
If your grandma discovered grandpa voted differently, it was after knowing he was kind, reliable and funny.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026
"My grandpa and my grandpa's grandpa were also craftspeople," Zhang told AFP in his dusty studio.
From Barron's • Jan. 19, 2026
My grandpa hums slightly as he gathers a pile of nuts.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
