grandpa

American  

[gran-pah, -paw, grand-, gram-, gram-puh] / ˈgrænˌpɑ, -ˌpɔ, ˈgrænd-, ˈgræm-, ˈgræm pə /

noun

Informal.

1. grandfather.

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grandpa British  

/ ˈɡrænd-, ˈɡræm-, ˈɡrænd-, ˈɡrænpəˌpɑː, ˈɡrænˌpɑː /

noun

1. informal words for grandfather

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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

First recorded in 1885–90; grand- + pa

Example Sentences

If I had kept this monkey trouble to myself, I don’t think it would have amounted to much; but I got my grandpa mixed up in it.

From Literature

My grandpa retired at 70 after working as a missionary for most of his life and later at a national laboratory.

From MarketWatch

I’m not here to be grandpa, but I also hope that we don’t totally lose the ability to interact with real people.

From Los Angeles Times

“A deer got killed on the highway. My grandpa cooked up a stew. What’s the big deal?”

From Literature

If your grandma discovered grandpa voted differently, it was after knowing he was kind, reliable and funny.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• ancestor
• patriarch