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
  • Even the Hammurabi Code, a set of laws created by the sixth Babylonian king in approximately 1760 bce, established forerunners of today’s interest rate and minimum wage laws.
    — Chris Roush, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2026
  • The Norwegian ended his season before the Olympics to further recover from a shoulder injury, but attended the finals as one of the forerunners, who test a course shortly before a race starts.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
Definition of forerunners
Noun
  • At some point in the mid-1850s, the river Padma suddenly carved a new path through the village of his ancestors in modern-day Bangladesh, flooding their homes and scattering them across the Indian subcontinent.
    — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
  • All across the United States, federal soldiers rounded up our Native American ancestors like cattle, pushing them into prison camps, many of which later became reservations.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
Definition of ancestors
Noun
  • Laboratory demonstrations have already shown production pathways for lubricant precursors, munition components, active pharmaceutical ingredients, bioplastics, and single-cell proteins.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 24 July 2026
  • In this study, published last month in Science, researchers found that as mice got close to the end of their pregnancies, placental levels of NAD+ and its precursors dropped off fast.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 20 July 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 25 Jul. 2026.

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