grandma

noun

grand·​ma ˈgran(d)-ˌmä How to pronounce grandma (audio)
-ˌmȯ;
ˈgra-ˌmä How to pronounce grandma (audio)
-ˌmȯ
plural grandmas
informal
: the mother of one's father or mother : grandmother
We took the kids to visit their grandma and grandpa.
often used as a form of address
"Grandma," I said, "is trapping fish legal in this state?"Richard Peck

Examples of grandma in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In a battle of strength between a grandma and a great white shark, the winner may surprise you. Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 In another example, Yue asks the phone to find a gift for his grandma who cannot get out of bed. Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 2 Mar. 2024 In our storytelling structure — look at our folktales and the way my grandma would tell it — one little story can take hours to tell. Thinus Ferreira, Variety, 28 Feb. 2024 The idea to craft alcoholic beverages featuring her family’s traditional soul food flavors came to her in 2020 during COVID lockdown while cooking her late grandma’s handwritten peach cobbler recipe. Claudia Alarcón, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Castillo’s grandma saw the incident but waited until the sun was out to get help, officials said. Paloma Chavez, Sacramento Bee, 15 Feb. 2024 Perspective Carolyn Hax: Grandma offends stepson’s family over ‘hard’ grandchild Perspective Carolyn Hax: ‘Impatient’ grandma wants more time with infant granddaughters... Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024 One shopper commented that the containers remind them of their mom and grandma. Lauren Taylor, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2024 It’s named after my grandma, who makes amazing desserts. Essence, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grandma.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1772, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grandma was in 1772

Dictionary Entries Near grandma

Cite this Entry

“Grandma.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grandma. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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