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
“What was meant to be a joyful family camping trip became an unimaginable nightmare that no parent, sibling, or grandparent should ever have to endure,” the page read.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 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
He also has a third grandparent from County Cavan.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
That looks like it belonged to a grandparent.
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
The shift reflects the priorities of younger voters, who see the economy and the worsening security situation with China as bigger concerns than the battles over bases that preoccupied their parents and grandparents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
When I was 5, we’d often visit my grandparents on the weekends.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
And now, be the latest node in a transmission that includes Ka, his parents and grandparents, and the ancestors he never knew, but whose wisdom he inherited.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Did you know that providing some childcare has been shown to reduce mortality for grandparents by 37%?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026
Bess's grandparents were visiting that afternoon, so she wanted to go home.
From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" 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.
