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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• grandfathers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of grandfather

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at grand-, father

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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

My grandfather Earl Warren wanted to campaign vigorously in 1948.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Early in the 20th century, Franzoy’s great grandfather arrived from Italy, cleared the desert land and planted chilies, onions and potatoes, nurturing the plants with water from the Rio Grande.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

The flight went on as planned, but these men knew my grandfather and heard that his daughters were getting on the plane.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

But the one person was my grandfather who was a pastor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Back then, it’d been because of losing her grandfather.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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

She acknowledged that it was still "not enough" and promised a "special plan for our grandfathers and grandmothers."

From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026

Joshua had grown up in Spokane, Wash., and his father and one of his grandfathers worked as controllers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

I could tell he was eager to avoid any mention of psychiatrists or dead grandfathers.

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

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Related Words

• ancestor
• grandpa
• patriarch

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