grandpa
Americannoun
-
grandpas
plural
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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
"Was grandpa a Nazi?" asked the headlines on news stories across Germany.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
There, Lindstrom made a short film about his grandpa that landed him a spot in the MFA program at Columbia University.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2026
My grandpa had a 2005 crew-cab short-bed Chevy Silverado, and I bought it off of him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026
“Your grandpa would be ashamed of your boys,” reads its website.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
I knew then what my old grandpa had been trying to tell me.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
"Be good when you get to the rainbow bridge, play with the older brothers and sisters, grandpas and grandmas from the neighbourhood," one user wrote.
From Barron's ● Dec. 2, 2025
Hairy-backed grandpas are yielding to upwardly mobile startup founders and creative types.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2025
But Ben and his little brother were doted upon by all their adopted grannies and grandpas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2025
“Chimaeras are also rather ancient relatives – the grandmas and grandpas – of fish and I thought the name was well suited.”
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2024
“That’s what grandpas are for, isn’t it? Don’t worry about catching those monkeys. Before you know it, we’ll have every one of them in the sack.”
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.
