grandma

noun

grand·​ma ˈgran(d)-ˌmä 

-ˌmȯ;

ˈgra-ˌmä 

-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

Renesmay Eutsey's grandma, 63-year-old Theresa Marie Shipley, and a family friend, 51-year-old Sandra Lynn Umensetter, are charged with endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person. —Jennifer Borrasso, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026

The German recipes in the book feel really nostalgic to me since my dad is German; my grandma was German. —Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 20 Apr. 2026

For a few minutes, Empower Field 2026 was Shea Stadium 1965, as youngsters blitzed through security to be near Lionel Messi the way your grandma once did to get a closer look at Paul McCartney. —Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026

What follows is a crescendo of bloody madness, including a gruesome toenail cutting scene that shouldn’t be viewed while eating, a grandma being eaten alive by a pack of coyotes and a truly bonkers wake that erupts into laugh-out-loud violence thanks to a pair of dentures. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1772, in the meaning defined above