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granddad

American  
[gran-dad] / ˈgrænˌdæd /

noun

Informal.
  1. grandfather.


Usage

What does granddad mean? Granddad 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 granddad. Granddad should be capitalized when it’s used as a proper name, as in Please tell Granddad that I miss him. But granddad does not need to be capitalized when it’s simply used as a way to refer to him, as in Please tell my granddad that I miss him. Example: It doesn’t matter what you call your granddad, as long as you call him.

Etymology

Origin of granddad

First recorded in 1810–20; grand- + dad 1

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.

See Examples For:

“My dad doesn’t understand it at all, but my granddad who’s not here anymore, he would have understood,” Bubb said.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 23, 2026

“The way we are farming has gone back to how my granddad would have done it,” Bubb said.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 23, 2026

The Jam's Paul Weller says he is very lucky to be "just another granddad" as he prepares to launch his new album.

From BBC Apr. 24, 2026

The rain pours down so often that you can’t help but snort when the film cuts to Whitford’s granddad angrily watering his lawn.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 12, 2026

She wondered if this was why her dad and granddad always liked telling stories.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

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