gran

[gran]

noun

Informal.

1. grandmother.

gran

/ ɡræn /

noun

1. an informal word for grandmother

Word History and Origins

Origin of gran¹

First recorded in 1860–65; by shortening

Example Sentences

As he stands in the rain, Mr Colton adds ruefully: "My gran thinks I'm mad."

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When she was five, her gran took her to live in Stranraer in south-west Scotland, about two hours' drive from her home in Glasgow.

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His gran, Betty Feeney, sparked the Glasgow actor's lifelong love of performance with her stories of seeing Frank Sinatra play in the city.

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"I was expelled and taken away from all my friends, and it made me really sad – but my gran used to say, 'Keep on keeping on, Thom', and it stuck with me."

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Hannah, who is just a year older than her late gran was when she died, is receiving her treatment through the NHS.

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When To Use

What does gran mean?

Gran is an informal word for grandmother—the mother of a person’s parent.The word granny is used in the same way. A similar word for a grandfather is gramps.Gran should be capitalized when it’s used as a proper name, as in Please tell Gran that I miss her. But gran does not need to be capitalized when it’s simply used as a way to refer to her, as in Please tell my gran that I miss her. Example: It doesn’t matter what you call your gran, as long as you call her.