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

Now, as parents and grandparents, they are passing along a skepticism toward higher education and its hefty price tag, part of the broader unraveling of America’s “college for all” ideology.

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Mr Clarke said he was enjoying doing something his grandparents could relate to and enjoy.

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But he does an excellent job of squaring the fading man before his eyes—the soppy grandparent and proud father—with the “shadowy, mysterious, sometimes frightening, often absent” stock figure from his youth.

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“I’ve spoken to thousands of parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles. They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our children online.”

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We received nearly 200 emails from parents and grandparents who said they had not seen their children or grandchildren for months, if not years, despite no safeguarding concerns.

Read more on BBC

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.