grandma
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does grandma mean? Grandma is an informal word for grandmother—the mother of a person’s parent. When a mother’s child has their own children, that mother becomes a grandma. The word ma is an informal way to say mother. Grandma is often combined with a name, especially when a person has two grandmothers that they call Grandma, as in Grandma Marg and Grandma Marie. Should grandma be capitalized?Grandma should be capitalized when it’s used as a proper name, as in Please tell Grandma that I miss her. But grandma does not need to be capitalized when it’s simply used as a way to refer to her, as in Please tell my grandma that I miss her. Example: It doesn’t matter what you call your grandma, as long as you call her.
Etymology
Origin of grandma
Explanation
Your grandma is either your mom's mom or your dad's mom. Some people call their grandma "Granny" or "Nana" or "Oma." Grandma is a very common, informal way to say "grandmother." While the preferences of grandmas vary, many of them enjoy being known as Grandma to their grandchildren. Most people use the word grandmother when they're writing or speaking generally or formally. Grandmama came first, around 1749, and grandma followed at the end of that century.
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.
In the bond world that is grandma doing a backflip off the garage roof.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
When they were five years old, she got a place to study at university in London, and left her children behind in Nottingham with her best friend's mother, who the twins called "grandma".
From BBC • May 2, 2026
After winning with a fairly low-scoring hand, Impellizzeri asked Tiffany Luo, 26, a technology consultant whose grandmother is a mahjong shark, what would your grandma call that play?
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
A few weeks ago, I got a text from my grandma: “A special delivery is on its way to you.”
From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026
“Maybe this tree is a grandma too!” said Widestride.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
