grandfathered; grandfathering; grandfathers
: to permit to continue under a grandfather clause
Synonyms
Examples of grandfather in a Sentence
Noun
this tradition has been passed down from our pioneer grandfathers
Recent Examples on the Web
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2023
His grandfather, Joseph P. Kennedy, poured a fortune into trust funds for his descendants, helping to support the political ambitions of his sons.
—Susanne Craig, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023
Sheila Littleton, 30, brought her grandfather with dementia to her family home in Houston, then spent months fruitlessly trying to place him in a nursing home with Medicaid coverage.
—Jordan Rau, Fortune Well, 16 Nov. 2023
Seidler’s grandfather, mother and uncle were all owners of the Dodgers until 1998.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Nov. 2023
Daniel is the oldest of the bunch and has four children: Judith Kailee, Wellington Rooney (named after his late paternal grandfather), Ann MacKenna and Blaise Rooney.
—Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 13 Nov. 2023
Farley’s own grandfather had been one of Henry Ford’s early employees, a job that had changed his family’s fortunes, Farley said.
—Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2023
To my family that is originally from Haifa, my grandfather was ...
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023
Some of Nate Hosie’s fondest memories as a young boy include hunting for pheasants and grouse in northeastern Pennsylvania’s mountains with his father and grandfather.
—Emma Colton, Fox News, 9 Nov. 2023
Casey Parks, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2023
Dallas City Council voted not to grandfather any existing STRs, including those already registered with the city.
—Myah Taylor, Dallas News, 27 June 2023
The approach would effectively grandfather in some sustainable aviation fuel ventures announced in the wake of the Inflation Reduction Act.
—Erik Wasson, Bloomberg.com, 26 Apr. 2023
From Spousal Limited Access Trusts (SLATs) to grantor trusts, everyone with means was looking to add techniques to their estate plan to grandfather into the higher unified credit amount that was created under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA).
—Megan Gorman, Forbes, 9 Nov. 2021
The measure would grandfather assault weapons already in legal possession.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2023
The measure would grandfather in weapons lawfully possessed on the date of enactment.
—Dallas News, 15 July 2022
The album lives up to its title, featuring not just the twin rockers – Gunnar and Matthew Nelson – but also holiday tunes recorded by father Ricky Nelson and grandfather Ozzie Nelson.
—cleveland, 29 Nov. 2022
Fascinated by inventor Nikola Tesla and his innovation of alternating current electricity, Asher Suderow decided to build a Tesla coil himself, and persuaded his dad and grandfather to help.
—Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 21 Sep. 2022
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Noun
His grandfather was in the fifth tier of the Russian establishment.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2023
His grandfather, Joseph P. Kennedy, poured a fortune into trust funds for his descendants, helping to support the political ambitions of his sons.
—Susanne Craig, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023
Sheila Littleton, 30, brought her grandfather with dementia to her family home in Houston, then spent months fruitlessly trying to place him in a nursing home with Medicaid coverage.
—Jordan Rau, Fortune Well, 16 Nov. 2023
Seidler’s grandfather, mother and uncle were all owners of the Dodgers until 1998.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Nov. 2023
Daniel is the oldest of the bunch and has four children: Judith Kailee, Wellington Rooney (named after his late paternal grandfather), Ann MacKenna and Blaise Rooney.
—Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 13 Nov. 2023
Farley’s own grandfather had been one of Henry Ford’s early employees, a job that had changed his family’s fortunes, Farley said.
—Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2023
To my family that is originally from Haifa, my grandfather was ...
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023
Some of Nate Hosie’s fondest memories as a young boy include hunting for pheasants and grouse in northeastern Pennsylvania’s mountains with his father and grandfather.
—Emma Colton, Fox News, 9 Nov. 2023
Verb
Most of the confusion over the new restrictions stems from an attempt to grandfather in those who are already receiving care.
—Casey Parks, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2023
Dallas City Council voted not to grandfather any existing STRs, including those already registered with the city.
—Myah Taylor, Dallas News, 27 June 2023
The approach would effectively grandfather in some sustainable aviation fuel ventures announced in the wake of the Inflation Reduction Act.
—Erik Wasson, Bloomberg.com, 26 Apr. 2023
From Spousal Limited Access Trusts (SLATs) to grantor trusts, everyone with means was looking to add techniques to their estate plan to grandfather into the higher unified credit amount that was created under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA).
—Megan Gorman, Forbes, 9 Nov. 2021
The measure would grandfather assault weapons already in legal possession.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2023
The measure would grandfather in weapons lawfully possessed on the date of enactment.
—Dallas News, 15 July 2022
The album lives up to its title, featuring not just the twin rockers – Gunnar and Matthew Nelson – but also holiday tunes recorded by father Ricky Nelson and grandfather Ozzie Nelson.
—cleveland, 29 Nov. 2022
Fascinated by inventor Nikola Tesla and his innovation of alternating current electricity, Asher Suderow decided to build a Tesla coil himself, and persuaded his dad and grandfather to help.
—Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 21 Sep. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grandfather.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing grandfather
Dictionary Entries Near grandfather
Cite this Entry
“Grandfather.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grandfather. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
grandfather
noun
grand·fa·ther
ˈgran(d)-ˌfät͟h-ər
1
: the father of one's father or mother
2
Legal Definition
grandfather
transitive verb
grand·fa·ther
: to permit to continue under a grandfather clause
current residents will be grandfathered under the regulation
—often used with in
More from Merriam-Webster on grandfather
Nglish: Translation of grandfather for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of grandfather for Arabic Speakers
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