great-grandfather
Americannoun
Usage
What does great-grandfather mean? A great-grandfather is the father of a person’s grandparent (the grandfather of a person’s parent). When a father’s child has their own children, that father becomes a grandfather. When those children have their own children, he becomes a great-grandfather. Should great-grandfather be capitalized?Great-grandfather should be capitalized when it’s used as a proper name, as in Please tell Great-grandfather that I miss him. But great-grandfather does not need to be capitalized when it’s simply used as a way to refer to him, as in Please tell my great-grandfather that I miss him. Example: My kids were lucky enough to get to know three of their great-grandfathers.
Etymology
Origin of great-grandfather
First recorded in 1505–15
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.
However, his father, called Thomas like his great grandfather, became ill and he was asked to look after the shop for six months.
From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026
After that Biden added, “The good news is I’m a great grandfather as of today… A 10-pound baby girl… baby boy.”
From Salon • Jan. 9, 2025
His great grandfather is Mel Hein, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 28, 2024
Ponzio, who was born in San Diego but qualified for Italy because his great grandfather was Italian, competed at the Tokyo Olympics but didn’t get past the qualifying round.
From Washington Times • Dec. 19, 2023
“No,” she replies, “I’m Irish Catholic. I think my great grandfather was Jewish.”
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
