as in father
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent
this tradition has been passed down from our pioneer grandfathers
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Recent Examples of grandfather
Her paternal grandfather was Wellington Mara, the co-owner of the New York Giants.
—
Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026
Luiz Philippe de Orleans e Bragança’s great-great-great grandfather Pedro II, whose reign ended in 1889, was the last Emperor of Brazil.
—Max Saltman, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
His father and grandfather were in the Air Force and his uncle was in the Army.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Piedra was father of 12, grandfather of 30 and great-grandfather of five.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grandfather
Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026
Luiz Philippe de Orleans e Bragança’s great-great-great grandfather Pedro II, whose reign ended in 1889, was the last Emperor of Brazil.
—Max Saltman, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
His father and grandfather were in the Air Force and his uncle was in the Army.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Piedra was father of 12, grandfather of 30 and great-grandfather of five.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grandfather
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grandfather
Noun
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Mohamad Faisal, one of Shah Alam's children, previously told Reuters that his father's arrest about a year ago was due to a misunderstanding with police officers.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Her father was seated on a chair with one foot tucked under him, and her mother was sitting on the sofa with both feet curled under her.—
Jacobina Martin,
Washington Post,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Norman Wong, a descendant of Wong Kim Ark, poses for a portrait in front of a mural of his late ancestor, in San Francisco.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
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The Northern Cheyenne chief Little Wolf exemplified this resolve in the 1860s and ’70s, leading his people in many different battles to defend the North Country of his ancestors.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grandfather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grandfather. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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