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

But many of the grandmothers there, as in so much of Appalachia, are known as mawmaws. —Casey Cep, New Yorker, 9 May 2026

The piece, created by artist Shea Maze with support from his grandmother and textile artist, Ceci Lewis, includes cotton and silk cloth dyed with indigo, black walnut and various flowers. —Elliot Mann, Twin Cities, 8 May 2026

Eight children, including York’s grandmother Rosalinda Rodriguez, packed up their belongings. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 8 May 2026

My mother was the epitome of love and warmth, and for Barron, a grandmother who filled every moment with joy and wisdom. —Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 8 May 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