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View synonyms for

grandmother

[ gran-muhth-er, grand-, gram- ]

noun

  1. the mother of one's father or mother.
  2. a female ancestor.


grandmother

/ ˈɡrænd-; ˈɡrænˌmʌðə /

noun

  1. the mother of one's father or mother
  2. often plural a female ancestor
  3. often capital a familiar term of address for an old woman
  4. teach one's grandmother to suck eggs
    See egg 1
“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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of grandmother1

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; grand-, mother 1
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"Potentially my great grandmothers could have died for me to have the right to vote, so I better exert it."

From

The girls’ grandmother, standing nearby, chatted the men up in Japanese.

From

Beisner said that due to the shutdowns, she lost two jobs and her grandmother died alone, while at the same time, protesters prompted by the death of George Floyd could gather en mass.

From

He found some old recipes online, including one from his mom that had originally belonged to his grandmother.

From

The Pugh family joined her at the premiere of Thunderbolts* in London and her grandmother, Pat Mackin, regularly attends her celebrity events.

From

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More About Grandmother

doesgrandmother mean?

A grandmother is the mother of a person’s parent.

When a mother’s child has their own children, that mother becomes a grandmother.

Less commonly, grandmother can be used in a general way to refer to a female ancestor, as in This would not be possible without the contributions of those who came before us, our many grandmothers.

Should grandmother be capitalized?

Grandmother should be capitalized when it’s used as a proper name, as in Please tell Grandmother that I miss her.

But grandmother does not need to be capitalized when it’s simply used as a way to refer to her, as in Please tell my grandmother that I miss her.

Example: It doesn’t matter what you call your grandmother, as long as you call her.

Where doesgrandmother come from?

The first records of the word grandmother come from around 1400. The prefix grand- is used in family terms to indicate a person who is one generation removed, as in grandparent and grandchild. (The prefix great- indicates yet another generation, as in great-grandmother.)

Grandmothers often have special bonds with their grandchildren (who they’re known to spoil with love, affection, and candy). It’s common for grandchildren to refer to their grandmothers with informal names. Common variants of grandmother include grandma, grandmom, gramma, grandmamma, gran, granny, and nana, but many families have their own specific version, such as meemaw and MaMotts.

Did you know ... ?

are some other forms related to grandmother?

are some synonyms for grandmother?

are some words that share a root or word element with grandmother?

are some words that often get used in discussing grandmother?

How isgrandmother used in real life?

There are many informal variants of the word grandmother. When it’s used as a proper name, Grandmother should be capitalized.

Try usinggrandmother!

Is grandmother used correctly in the following sentence?

I’m a grandmother of two and a mother of five, so I know a thing or two about temper tantrums.

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