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great-aunt

American  
[greyt-ant, -ahnt] / ˈgreɪtˌænt, -ˌɑnt /

noun

great-aunts plural
  1. a grandaunt.


great-aunt British  

noun

  1. an aunt of one's father or mother; sister of one's grandfather or grandmother

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of great-aunt

First recorded in 1650–60

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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:

Speaking of her great-aunt, she says, “I channel her a lot.”

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 2, 2026

Maybe you have looked at the clouds and imagined a sailboat, a seahorse, or even your great-aunt Rosemary staring back at you.

From Science Daily May 14, 2026

Almost everyone was safe and accounted for, he was told, except for a distant great-aunt who died in Mandalay – and his Oo Oo.

From BBC Mar. 31, 2025

“It’s pretty usual for us in Humboldt County to get earthquakes,” said Chappelle, who is the innkeeper of Hydrangea Inn, which was built by her great-aunt in the 1930s.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 5, 2024

Celia had known him since she was a child, when her mother had sent her from the countryside to live with her great-aunt in Havana.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

Once my sister goes, “I don’t remember our great-aunts and -uncles being as crazy as Mom and Dad can be.”

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 19, 2025

Two of her great-aunts worked at the factory, and one of them, Rosie Weiner, died in the fire.

From Seattle Times Oct. 11, 2023

I saw my great-aunts donning these uniforms and driving out to Orange County or Laurel Canyon in order to cook and clean for people.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 29, 2023

In the bleachers, Page’s mother, his former third-grade teacher, great-aunts and two siblings cheered him on.

From Washington Post Jun. 21, 2022

I see my great-aunts fanning themselves and my second cousins chugging water.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

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