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
Joosep Martinson / Getty Images Malinan, whose parents were Olympic figure skaters for Uzbekistan and whose grandfather was a figure skater for the USSR, started skating at 6.
—
Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Hemsworth’s grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
My grandfather also liked to educate my brother and I on finances by encouraging us to think about retirement early on in our lives, and to understand the value of investing and money growing over time.
—R29 Team, Refinery29, 4 Feb. 2026
The game has special meaning for Malone, whose grandfather, James, played for West Aurora’s 1980 team that took third in the state in Class AA.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grandfather
Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Hemsworth’s grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
My grandfather also liked to educate my brother and I on finances by encouraging us to think about retirement early on in our lives, and to understand the value of investing and money growing over time.
—R29 Team, Refinery29, 4 Feb. 2026
The game has special meaning for Malone, whose grandfather, James, played for West Aurora’s 1980 team that took third in the state in Class AA.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grandfather
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grandfather
Noun
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Their accounts gave me shivers of recognition—their experiences echoed my father’s stories.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Feb. 2026
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The two become inseparable, to the dismay of Cathy’s paid companion Nelly (Vi Nguyen), and only become closer after Heathcliff takes a beating on Cathy’s behalf from her alcoholic father (Martin Clunes) for missing his birthday celebration.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But now, a series of tea parties with an ape named Kanzi suggests some of our closest ancestors may have this ability too.—
Suzanne Nuyen,
NPR,
11 Feb. 2026
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The findings also suggest that herbivory evolved independently in several different groups of early land vertebrates, not just in the ancestors of modern reptiles.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grandfather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grandfather. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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