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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 His grandmother, a graduate of The Juilliard School, taught him to play the piano and supported his musical development. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026 The stones honor Heppner, his father, Albert; his mother, Irene; and his grandmother, Dina. — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026 Karmere's name comes from Hoopes' grandmother, who purchased the property where the winery now sits. — Melissa May, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026 The boy’s parents, Daniel Monzon and Destiny Harrison, and his grandmother Ana Zarceno-Carcamo are charged with torture and murder. — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grandmother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grandmother
  1. matriarch
  2. ancestress
  3. ancestor
  4. foremother
Noun
  • In a small Nepalese village nestled in the heart of a forest populated by wild elephants, Pirati is the matriarch of a Kinnar community.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The streamer has picked up a drama called How to Survive Without Me, about a family dealing with the loss of its matriarch.
    — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 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
  • Their ancestors had entered the United States through Southern ports, especially New Orleans and Galveston, which gave them a different political and cultural orientation from those who had entered through the East, and above all through New York.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • While the complexities around working within a park that his ancestors had been removed from remain, Mgesi now supports much of his extended family with the steady wage.
    — Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 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 23 Sep. 2026.

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