grandfather

1 of 2

noun

grand·​fa·​ther ˈgran(d)-ˌfä-t͟hər 

1

a

: the father of one's father or mother

b

: ancestor sense 1a

2

: granddaddy sense 2

grandfatherly

ˈgran(d)-ˌfä-t͟hər-lē 

adjective

grandfather

2 of 2

verb

grandfathered; grandfathering; grandfathers

transitive verb

: to permit to continue under a grandfather clause

Synonyms

Noun

• father
• ancestor

Examples of grandfather in a Sentence

Noun

this tradition has been passed down from our pioneer grandfathers

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Roley's grandfather, Dale Roley, told the New York Times on Monday that the suspect was working for a tree company and had expressed interest in becoming a forest firefighter. —Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 1 July 2025

The latest is that the 21-year-old’s grandfather, the bullfighter Manuel Torres-Cansino, was a cousin of the American actress Margarita Carmen Cansino, commonly known as Rita Hayworth. —Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 29 June 2025

Verb

The policy does not grandfather in currently serving transgender troops and offers only limited waivers. —Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025

Zoom in: Schumer was under enormous pressure from progressive senators and labor groups to try to grandfather in Democratic control of the NLRB for the first two years of Trump's presidency. —Axios, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1953, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing grandfather

• grandfather clause
• grandfather clock

Rhymes for grandfather

• forefather
• godfather
• stepfather
• bother
• father

Kids Definition

grandfather

1 of 2 noun

grand·​fa·​ther

ˈgran(d)-ˌfät͟h-ər

1

: the father of one's father or mother

2

: ancestor sense 1

grandfather

2 of 2 verb

grandfathered; grandfathering

: to permit to continue under a grandfather clause

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