grandparent

[gran-pair-uhnt, -par-, grand-]

noun

1. a parent of a parent.

grandparent

/ ˈɡrænˌpɛərənt, ˈɡrænd- /

noun

1. the father or mother of either of one's parents

Other Word Forms

• grandparental adjective
• grandparenting noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of grandparent¹

First recorded in 1820–30; grand- + parent

Example Sentences

There’s only so much control that their grandparents will be able to exercise after they’re gone, and the best kinds of gifts don’t come with strings attached.

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She had stacks of silver serving platters and mountains of spoons, some of which dated back to my grandparents’ catering business.

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Having downsized from about 500 acres, it was originally bought in 1937 by his wife's grandparents and has been passed down to the third generation.

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“My grandparents are very shy people, and when my grandma saw the video, she was like, ‘Oh, Ravyn, baby …’”

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The grandparents of President John F. Kennedy, who wasn’t yet born, honeymooned there when I was two months old.

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When To Use

What does grandparent mean?

A grandparent is the parent of a person’s parent.When a parent’s child has children, that parent becomes a grandparent. Grandmothers and grandfathers are grandparents.A parent of a grandparent is called a great-grandparent. In your family tree, you have four grandparents and eight great-grandparents.Most people refer to their grandparents with titles like grandma and grandpa.Example: It doesn’t matter what you call your grandparents, as long as you call them.