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 Like so many in her generation, my grandmother saw those iconic names as markers of discriminating taste without considering the dark side of all that exclusivity. — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026 In a recent case, police in North Dakota ran surveillance footage from a bank fraud case through an AI system, which flagged a grandmother from Tennessee as a potential suspect based on her facial features. — Maria Pulera, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 Rune James Beard semifinalist Sean Richardson opened Rune in March 2024 and created a menu that pays homage to his grandmother’s cooking. — Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 23 July 2026 Shortly after, Kardashian shared an emotional social media tribute for her beloved grandmother. — Erin Clements, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for grandmother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grandmother
  1. matriarch
  2. ancestress
  3. ancestor
  4. foremother
Noun
  • Anderson plays the deceased family matriarch who lost her life after a pack of wolves savagely gobbled her up, leaving nearly nothing behind to be buried.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 24 July 2026
  • Here’s a closer look at the properties that chart the rise of television’s most famous matriarch.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 24 July 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
  • At some point in the mid-1850s, the river Padma suddenly carved a new path through the village of his ancestors in modern-day Bangladesh, flooding their homes and scattering them across the Indian subcontinent.
    — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
  • All across the United States, federal soldiers rounded up our Native American ancestors like cattle, pushing them into prison camps, many of which later became reservations.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 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 29 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of grandmother for Spanish Speakers

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