grandmother

noun

grand·​moth·​er ˈgran(d)-ˌmə-t͟hər 

1

: the mother of one's father or mother

2

: a female ancestor

grandmotherly

ˈgran(d)-ˌmə-t͟hər-lē 

adjective

Examples of grandmother in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Giving families tools to improve reading at home Before Juri Sleet completed her literacy screening at age 3, her grandmother, Quintina Davis, worried Juri didn’t have enough opportunities for early learning. —CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026

These lessons may come in the form of Zora Neale Hurston novels, or in the stories that your grandmother told you in her kitchen. —Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026

In the summer of 2024, while visiting my grandmother in China, my husband gave me a pearl ring and asked if we could be pearled. —Shayla Love, New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2026

My grandmother treasures a mink coat her father bought her more than 60 years ago. —Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for grandmother

• another
• godmother
• stepbrother
• stepmother
• brother
• mother
• nother
• other
• smother
• souther

Kids Definition

grandmother

noun

grand·​moth·​er ˈgran(d)-ˌmət͟h-ər 

1

: the mother of one's father or mother

2

: a female ancestor