as in fathers
a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent
this tradition has been passed down from our pioneer grandfathers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 grandfathers
The captains were the fathers, or at least the grandfathers, of this genre.
—
Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
Her grandfathers were military.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
College-age amateurs competing alongside former champions old enough to be their grandfathers is a longstanding Masters tradition.
—Jack Leo, AJC.com, 4 Apr. 2026
Robert Pelot, the owner of Pelot’s Rexall Pharmacy, said it’s been in his family since one of his great-grandfathers moved to the Bradenton area from Indiana in the late 1800s.
—Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
Is this the noble cause that our grandfathers would have shed their blood for 85 years ago?
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
His grandfathers, fishermen Pietro Tarantino and Gaetano D’Acquisto, immigrated to the area from Porticello, Sicily, in the early 1900s and settled in Little Italy.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
And the same impressive nature was true of both women's grandfathers, says Jones.
—Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
In the early sixties, one of Chiasson’s grandfathers worked on a crew that blasted a route through the Winooski River Valley to bring Interstate 89 up to Burlington.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
Her grandfathers were military.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
College-age amateurs competing alongside former champions old enough to be their grandfathers is a longstanding Masters tradition.
—Jack Leo, AJC.com, 4 Apr. 2026
Robert Pelot, the owner of Pelot’s Rexall Pharmacy, said it’s been in his family since one of his great-grandfathers moved to the Bradenton area from Indiana in the late 1800s.
—Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
Is this the noble cause that our grandfathers would have shed their blood for 85 years ago?
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
His grandfathers, fishermen Pietro Tarantino and Gaetano D’Acquisto, immigrated to the area from Porticello, Sicily, in the early 1900s and settled in Little Italy.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
And the same impressive nature was true of both women's grandfathers, says Jones.
—Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
In the early sixties, one of Chiasson’s grandfathers worked on a crew that blasted a route through the Winooski River Valley to bring Interstate 89 up to Burlington.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grandfathers
Noun
-
Research also shows mothers and fathers kill their children at similar rates.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The captains were the fathers, or at least the grandfathers, of this genre.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This hulking sedan still lacks the grace of its E3 and E23 ancestors, but the infusion of Neue Klasse details and other tweaks definitely help.—
Stephen Edelstein,
ArsTechnica,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Canada’s new citizenship law, effective December, lets Americans with distant Canadian ancestors claim dual nationality—potentially affecting millions and overwhelming immigration lawyers on both sides of the border.—
Sarah Raza,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grandfathers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grandfathers. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
