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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
September Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Unit 10
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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
Plus, fancy water and the benefits of being a grandparent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
“He’s advocating for the grandparent to make sure their needs are addressed,” Zealand said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 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
They were warm and I loved them the way any grandchild loves a grandparent.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
Did you know that providing some childcare has been shown to reduce mortality for grandparents by 37%?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026
An almost empty new build estate has sparked anger because rules state that the houses can be only sold as holiday homes, with one would-be buyer saying her grandparents would be "turning in their graves".
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
To be sure, India’s young people have far more job opportunities than their parents or grandparents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Ireland and Italy, for example, offer citizenship to foreigners if they parents or grandparents that were born in or were citizens of those countries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
In Japan, many families live in multigenerational households, and people were concerned about elderly parents and grandparents.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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.
