grandparent
Americannoun
-
grandparents
plural
noun
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of grandparent
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.
Vocabulary lists containing grandparent
It's All in the Family
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September Words
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Unit 10
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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:
"Some people think that because a parent or grandparent had osteoarthritis, they will develop it too," Cheng said.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
And the good news is that the grandparent role comes in many forms today and no longer has to rely on a genetic link.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Some of the parents and even a grandparent helped, and the last mural character was added by Principal Juan de Dios Ramirez.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
A grandparent contributing $5,000 annually from birth to age 18 puts $90,000 into the account, plus the government’s $1,000.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
By Hitler’s definition, you were Jewish if you had at least one Jewish grandparent.
From "Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps" by Andrea Warren
The rest mainly look after siblings and grandparents.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
They inherited $10 million from their grandparents, go skydiving on weekends, are gainfully employed, and do not need the money right now.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
This display is the touch screen equivalent of the Big Type books that you give your grandparents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
The grandparents are scheduled to stand trial together in February 2027, while McCormack is scheduled to stand trial in August 2027, according to the D.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
"I'd better go. We're leaving to visit my grandparents on the other side of town. I have to change into nicer clothes. See ya at school tomorrow."
From "Pony Problems: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #3" by Carolyn Keene
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.
