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granddaddies

noun

variants also grandaddies
plural of granddaddy
as in forerunners
something belonging to an earlier time from which something else was later developed the granddaddy of all English mystery novels

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of granddaddies Yet now the granddaddy of philanthropic sporting events is being replaced by a sport actually popularized by granddaddies — pickleball. — Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for granddaddies
  1. forerunners
  2. ancestors
  3. precursors
Noun
  • Margaret and Alice are the forerunners of Lucy and Ethel, and Shakespeare’s comedy, written expressly to entertain, gives us a sense of what an Elizabethan-era situation comedy might look like.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
  • One of the forerunners today in Madeira and the Azores is António Maçanita from Azores Wine Company.
    — Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of forerunners
Noun
  • Eagle hopes to use the same technique to suss out the body temperatures of avian dinosaurs and ancient mammalian ancestors next.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The group includes people whose ancestors come from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of ancestors
Noun
  • This event, which resulted in the death of enslaver Edward Gorsuch, heightened tensions between the North and South and was one of the many precursors to the American Civil War.
    — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Two other groups received Lasker Awards, which are often precursors for Nobel Prizes.
    — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of precursors

Browse Nearby Words

grandams
granddaddies
granddaddy
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Cite this Entry

“Granddaddies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/granddaddies. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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