grandmother

noun

Definition of grandmothernext
as in matriarch
the mother of your father or mother

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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 grandmother The curious boys climbed onto the roof of their home for a better look, but climbed back down when scolded by their grandmother. — Rina Nakano, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026 When Tae-ha comes to save his grandmother, Sang-gil is still processing the reveal. — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026 His grandmother lived in downtown Toronto, and his parents met at the University of Toronto. — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026 On the evening of the murders, Machado went on a shopping trip with her two daughters, leaving her 6-year-old son with her grandmother, court records indicate. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grandmother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grandmother
  1. matriarch
  2. ancestress
  3. ancestor
  4. foremother
Noun
  • Developers also pointed to the dedication of a 60-acre park along the south side of the Boise River, named Margaret Aldape Park, after the matriarch of the Aldape family who had homesteaded the land for more than a century.
    — Rose Evans August 9, Idaho Statesman, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Thaha Ibrahim, a Muslim, forged a profound connection with the late Sarah Cohen, one of the neighborhood's Jewish matriarchs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of matriarch
Noun
  • Yang Asha is the mythical ancestress of the Miao people, an ethnic minority in China closely related to the Hmong of Southeast Asia.
    — Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 26 Nov. 2020
  • His own mother, aged ninety, who remembered her aunt, had been able to share stories of their ancestress with the grandchildren who’d had no idea, before now, what their background might be.
    — Susan Choi, Harper's magazine, 6 Jan. 2020
Definition of ancestress
Noun
  • While Silicon Valley has since moved on to shaping the future of artificial intelligence, these hardware enthusiasts are intent on saving the Atari, Commodore and IBM machines that are ancestors to today’s laptops, wearable devices and smartphones.
    — Terry Chea, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Long before dinosaurs ruled the continents and modern crocodiles first appeared, their ancestors were already going through a decisive phase in their evolutionary history.
    — The Conversation, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of ancestor
Noun
  • Through our hair and its many rituals, remain the herbalism of our foremothers in the new world, passing down their ingenuity of homemade balms, creams, and oils for hair growth.
    — Eshe Ukweli, refinery29.com, 7 June 2023
  • In fact, precursors to modern bleaching processes didn’t come on the scene until the turn of the 20th century, leaving our foremothers and forefathers plenty of time to get creative with their blonde pursuits.
    — AJ Willingham, CNN, 28 May 2023
Definition of foremother

Browse Nearby Words

grandly
grandmother
grandmothers
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Cite this Entry

“Grandmother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grandmother. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on grandmother

Nglish: Translation of grandmother for Spanish Speakers

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