grandpa
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does grandpa mean? Grandpa 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 grandpa. The word pa is an informal way to say father. Grandpa is often combined with a name, especially when a person has two grandfathers that they call Grandpa, as in Grandpa Carl andGrandpa Frank. Should grandpa be capitalized?Grandpa should be capitalized when it’s used as a proper name, as in Please tell Grandpa that I miss him. But grandpa does not need to be capitalized when it’s simply used as a way to refer to him, as in Please tell my grandpa that I miss him. Example: It doesn’t matter what you call your grandpa, as long as you call him.
Etymology
Origin of grandpa
Explanation
Your grandpa is your grandfather; in other words, your grandpa is your mom or dad's dad. Grandpa is the most common name people use for their grandfather, but you might call yours "Gramps." While you may refer to him as your grandfather, you're more likely to call him grandpa. It's an informal, childish nickname, a shortened form of grandpappa, most popular in the 1700s, which spawned grandpappy and grandpop as well. When you are referring to your mom or dad's mother, you can replace the "p" with an "m" and use the word (yes, you guessed it!) grandma.
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 world truly lost an icon and I lost my grandpa."
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
We’d take grandma and grandpa home, drop the dogs off.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026
So my grandpa doesn’t receive much Social Security, but he makes it work because he uses his money wisely.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026
They’re my favorite odd couple in Italy—the 21-year-old speedskating comet from Wisconsin and the 75-year-old grandpa coach he begged to come out of retirement.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026
I didn’t say anything—I didn’t have to—my old grandpa knew how I felt about him.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
