Definition of grand old man
: a venerated practitioner or former practitioner of an art, profession, or sport
the grand old man of jazz
Examples of grand old man in a Sentence
the grand old man of the American theater
Recent Examples on the Web Smith, the virtuoso shortstop, spoke by phone this month before the departure of yet another grand old man of the game.
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New York Times, "Saying Goodbye to the Knuckleball, and Its Master," 28 Dec. 2020 Three new biographical works suggest something of the pitfalls that beset anyone attempting to get the grand old man of British Romanticism down on paper.
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Kathryn Hughes, The New York Review of Books, "Bliss in That Dawn," 8 Sep. 2020 Even with a pep talk from the grand old man of the mound, there is no way to simulate how a playoff game really feels.
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Tyler Kepner, New York Times, "James Paxton Delivers Ace-Like Night in Yankees’ Moment of Need," 19 Oct. 2019 The grand old man of counter-culture country plays the House of Blues.
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NOLA.com, "New Orleans 2018 spring concert schedule: From Willie Nelson to Hall and Oates," 26 Feb. 2018 Bill Clinton was impeached for lying about his affair with Monica Lewinsky but survived office and has enjoyed a post-presidential career as a globetrotting elder statesman and grand old man of the Democratic Party.
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David A. Graham, The Atlantic, "Blake Farenthold and the Grandfathering of Sexual Harassment," 14 Dec. 2017 Now, Gates is the grand old man, a savvy mentor for players such as second-year tight end Hunter Henry, who might be a rising star but barely factored into the game plan in the opener.
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Sam Farmer, sandiegouniontribune.com, "History must wait for Chargers' Gates," 11 Sep. 2017
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grand old man.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for grand old man
The first known use of grand old man was in 1838
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