grandfather
noun
grand·fa·ther
| \ ˈgran(d)-ˌfä-t͟hər
\
\
Definition of grandfather
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: the father of one's father or mother
grandfather
verb
grandfathered;
grandfathering;
grandfathers
Definition of grandfather (Entry 2 of 2)
: to permit to continue under a grandfather clause
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Other Words from grandfather
Noun
grandfatherly
\ ˈgran(d)-ˌfä-t͟hər-lē
\
adjective
\
adjective
Synonyms & Antonyms for grandfather
Synonyms: Noun
ancestor, father, forebear (also forbear), forebearer, forefather, primogenitor, progenitor
Antonyms: Noun
descendant (also descendent)
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Examples of grandfather in a Sentence
Noun
this tradition has been passed down from our pioneer grandfathersRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
Ani was introduced in season 3 as a British transfer student, whose mother worked for Bryce's family as a nurse to his dying grandfather. — Jasmine Gomez, Seventeen, "Everything You Need to Know About "13 Reasons Why"'s Newest Character Ani Achola," 27 Aug. 2019 Her mother runs off with another man, and Sgualdo and her siblings are shunted off to her grandfather’s farm. — Peter Keough, BostonGlobe.com, "Doc Talk: A mother’s tale, a choral tour, a Patrick Swayze bio," 21 Aug. 2019 After a trip to Farthinggale Manor, she is persuaded to stay by her grandfather to live amidst the wealthy -- until the ghosts of her past threaten her new life. — Los Angeles Times, "Here are the feature and TV films airing the week of Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019," 11 Aug. 2019 Fallen Hearts Now happily married, Heaven decides — thanks to some convincing by her grandfather — to continue living at their Boston mansion. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "The True Story of How V.C. Andrews’ Casteel Family Saga Came to Be," 27 July 2019 The tight end was very close to his grandfather, Edward Martin Smith Sr., who died March 28 of congestive heart failure. — Chris Tomasson, Twin Cities, "Vikings rookie TE Irv Smith gets motivation from tattoo of late grandfather," 22 July 2019 His foray into rubs and smoking was spurred along by a cache of seasoned mesquite that once belonged to his late grandfather. — SFChronicle.com, "Matt Horn is the future of Bay Area barbecue," 2 July 2019 Lisa Marie Presley shared a rare family photo on Twitter and Instagram, and her son Benjamin Keough's resemblance to his grandfather, the king of rock 'n' roll, is striking. — Theresa Waldrop, CNN, "Lisa Marie Presley shared a family photo, and fans see an Elvis double," 22 June 2019 As an adult, William has paid tribute to his grandfather in many ways. — Marcia Moody, Town & Country, "What Prince Philip Is Really Like as a Grandfather to Prince William, Prince Harry, and Other Young Members of the Royal Family," 4 Oct. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Machine guns are no longer allowed to be manufactured, but the law banning them grandfathered in existing ownership so long as those in possession registered their guns and paid a $200 tax. — Benjy Sarlin, NBC News, "As Trump waffles, some Democrats talk up mandatory gun buybacks, licensing," 24 Aug. 2019 The area is zoned for residential development but because the property already was being used for other purposes those uses were grandfathered in making it a legal non-conforming use under zoning rules. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Cell tower debate and approval leads to code compliance investigation in Escondido," 24 July 2019 Some existing tenants like Bank of America were grandfathered in and allowed to stay. — Roland Li, SFChronicle.com, "Chain store bans in San Francisco leave more shops empty, critics say," 7 July 2019 However, the agency also grandfathered in companies that entered the contracting program before the rule change, including firms that were the subject of The Times’ investigation. — Adam Elmahrek, latimes.com, "Native American minority contracts are under scrutiny as officials vow strict enforcement," 2 July 2019 But this point, Brady should just be grandfathered in to the Madden 99 club. — Troy L. Smith, cleveland.com, "Madden 20 ratings: Biggest snubs from the 99 club," 15 July 2019 Transgender service members who currently are serving and come out to the military could face discharge, Mr. Minter said, while an openly transgender service member would be grandfathered in and allowed to serve. — Nancy A. Youssef, WSJ, "Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to Implement Transgender Restrictions in Military," 22 Jan. 2019 State Farm stopped writing policies for homes in the two highest-risk lava zones in the 1990s, but the company grandfathered-in any existing policies, said Kim Silva, a State Farm sales executive in Hawaii. — Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, USA TODAY, "Worried Hawaii homeowners want to know: Am I covered if a volcano burns down my house?," 15 May 2018 City officials, though, correctly point out that those two businesses were grandfathered into the city’s existing ordinances. — al.com, "Mobile revokes business license from strip club operator," 11 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grandfather.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for grandfather
grandfather
noun
English Language Learners Definition of grandfather
: the father of your father or mother
See the full definition for grandfather in the English Language Learners Dictionary
grandfather
noun
grand·fa·ther
| \ ˈgrand-ˌfä-t͟hər
, ˈgran-\
, ˈgran-\
Kids Definition of grandfather
1
: the father of someone's father or mother
2
: ancestor
His grandfathers had all farmed the land.
grandfather
transitive verb
grand·fa·ther
Legal Definition of grandfather
: to permit to continue under a grandfather clause
current residents will be grandfathered under the regulation
&