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 No one has been more influential in Williams’ life than her 4-foot-11 grandmother, a Parisian professor who helped foster Williams’ love for all things France, including basketball. — Eden Laase, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Nattiv was young when his grandmother started to participate in activities held by the cult, which included talks, seminars and free dancing sessions. — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026 Heritage cookbook re-issues or major cookware launches, from Dutch ovens to pasta makers to bread proofers, marketed with explicit grandmother or nonna framing. — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026 Many around the world looked in horror last month at images of a Ukrainian grandmother weeping as the body of her grandson was pulled from the rubble of his home following a Russian missile attack. — Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grandmother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grandmother
  1. matriarch
  2. ancestress
  3. ancestor
  4. foremother
Noun
  • Donna is the matriarch of a wealthy Miami-area Adelson family.
    — Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Florence Pugh leads the cast of the series as Cathy Ames, the matriarch of the Trask family and a Devil figure in the novel who serves as its principal antagonist.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 2 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
  • Patrick Scribner has only limited memories of what, for generations, was home to his ancestors.
    — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The Millers also see the hand of their ancestors in all of this.
    — Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 6 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 9 Sep. 2026.

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