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.

---

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  

/ ˈɡrænˌfɑːðə, ˈɡrænd- /

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

---

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

Born Alan Howard Frieda in London in 1951, his father was a hairdresser who owned a salon in Ealing, west London, while his grandfather had also been a Fleet Street barber.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Rachel Apa, from Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, was running on Sunday with the Parkinson's Foundation Champions to raise money and honor her grandfather who had the disease, she said in a fundraising page.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

“My grandfather was my role model growing up,” she wrote on the team’s fundraising page.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

Beth Lew-Williams, a historian at Princeton University, only discovered two weeks before her grandfather died in 2002 that he had been a paper son.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

“Princess,” Jack’s grandfather said by way of greeting, his face now a much healthier color.

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

His two grandfathers, both named Bill, were key figures in his early life, later providing inspiration for the title of his 2023 memoir.

From BBC ● May 13, 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

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

From "Sunny" by Jason Reynolds

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• ancestor
• grandpa
• patriarch

---