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 Led by Rader and managing partner Del Wright, UNA Sports Group was founded in 2025 and is named after a nickname Wright used for his grandmother. — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 29 Oct. 2026 At Addams' colonial-style childhood home, a historic marker says his grandmother lived in the attic and is believed to be the inspiration for the fictional Grandmama Addams. — ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026 His great-great-grandmother, who had a husband killed in the Franco-Prussian War, is buried at the cemetery. — Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026 On the small screen, Barrie portrayed the wife of Hal Linden’s protagonist on Barney Miller, and played the grandmother of Brooke Shields’ central character on Suddenly Susan. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grandmother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grandmother
  1. matriarch
  2. ancestress
  3. ancestor
  4. foremother
Noun
  • In a nod to that film, Beverly D’Angelo co-stars as the Kringle family matriarch.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Most of the jokes around Drake’s style compare him to women—to white women and their keenness for the fall season, to rich reality TV stars, to family matriarchs, and more.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 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
  • Throughout the region, remains of 5,500 ancestors that were displaced have been made available for return to the Tohono O’odham Nation, according to ProPublica’s NAGPRA database.
    — Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Today, this Chilean territory is essentially an open-air archaeological museum, with many of its enigmatic moai (representations of Polynesian ancestors) returned to their upright positions following seven decades of restoration.
    — Mark Johanson, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 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 4 Nov. 2026.

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