grandchild

American  

[gran-chahyld] / ˈgrænˌtʃaɪld /

noun

grandchildren plural

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

“My parents won’t be at my wedding, they won’t get to hold their future grandchild, and they won’t get to see me have the successful career I’m still seeking,” he wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 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

When Pat Grant found out her first grandchild was on the way, her cancer diagnosis made her think: "I am never going to meet this child."

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

I understand why your daughter would ask you to watch your future grandchild.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 4, 2026

For the next half hour, he straightened up and tried to fix the television as his sons, his daughter-in-law, and a grandchild gathered outside the house.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland