grandparent

American  

[gran-pair-uhnt, -par-, grand-] / ˈgrænˌpɛər ənt, -ˌpær-, ˈgrænd- /

noun

• grandparents
  plural

1. a parent of a parent.

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grandparent British  

/ ˈɡrænˌpɛərənt, ˈɡrænd- /

noun

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

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• grandparenting
  noun
• grandparental
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• grandparents
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of grandparent

First recorded in 1820–30; grand- + parent

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Explanation

A grandparent is your parent's parent. Your dad's mother is your grandparent, and so is your mom's father. If you're lucky enough to have living grandparents, then that's pretty grand. Most people have a special name for each of their grandparents, whether it's "Grandma," "Grandpa Bob," or "Nana." Others never have the chance to meet their grandparents, but everyone has them. The word grandparent, first used at the start of the nineteenth century, uses grand in its sense of "a generation older than." Your grandparents are a generation older than your parents.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grandparent grandparents

Denied, he settles for iced tea, but encourages me to eat with the geniality and concern of a grandparent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

"Some people think that because a parent or grandparent had osteoarthritis, they will develop it too," Cheng said.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026

Plus, fancy water and the benefits of being a grandparent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

It can happen — for example, if you inherit from a sibling who never married or had children — but it’s far less common than inheriting from a parent or grandparent.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026

“My grandparent, too. My great-grandparent were less even than that.”

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

They were attended by young and old, parents with children and sometimes their grandparents.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Parents who have family support nearby said that they saved about $1,915 per year on childcare by having willing grandparents babysit their kids or having family help buy groceries.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

The family explained this was not possible as Phoebe's grandparents were waiting at the station to pick them up and take her back to Caerphilly, where she was living at the time.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

“My grandparents were murdered in concentration camps. And to see how the world, again, is swinging that direction, where there are too many people in favor of a totalitarian government, is crazy,” Eliot said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

“But wait until after nine when my grandparents are in bed.”

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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