grandmother
Americannoun
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the mother of one's father or mother.
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a female ancestor.
noun
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the mother of one's father or mother
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(often plural) a female ancestor
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(often capital) a familiar term of address for an old woman
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See egg 1
Usage
What does grandmother mean? A grandmother is the mother of a person’s parent. When a mother’s child has their own children, that mother becomes a grandmother. Less commonly, grandmother can be used in a general way to refer to a female ancestor, as in This would not be possible without the contributions of those who came before us, our many grandmothers. Should grandmother be capitalized?Grandmother should be capitalized when it’s used as a proper name, as in Please tell Grandmother that I miss her. But grandmother does not need to be capitalized when it’s simply used as a way to refer to her, as in Please tell my grandmother that I miss her. Example: It doesn’t matter what you call your grandmother, as long as you call her.
Etymology
Origin of grandmother
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at grand-, mother 1
Explanation
Your grandmother is your mom or dad's mother. In many traditional cultures, a grandmother lives with her adult child's family and helps raise her grandchildren. Everyone has two biological grandmothers, maternal (your mother's mother) and paternal (your father's mother). If you're lucky, your grandmother is someone you get to know well. One of the most well-known fictional grandmothers appears in "Little Red Riding Hood," the fairy tale in which a wolf disguises himself as Red Riding Hood's grandmother in an attempt to fool her into being eaten.
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.
The author rehabilitates the Greek Arachne—unfairly condemned to be a spider because of her creative ability—then returns us to Spider Woman and Spider Grandmother, the kindly, creative beings who bring life and wisdom to humankind.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Grandmother, her son, his wife, and their three little children.
From Slate • Dec. 16, 2023
The Grandmother Hypothesis first originated in a 1957 paper by the ecologist George C. Williams, and as Lacreuse said, is often used to explain the existence of menopause.
From Salon • Dec. 11, 2023
Grandmother Annette Cini watched the semi-final with her grandchildren - and hopes it will inspire 16-year-old Alisha, who plays as a striker for King's Lynn Ladies.
From BBC • Aug. 16, 2023
There was no space where Nhamo might fit herself in, and so she waited patiently in the doorway as Grandmother finished her tale.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
