grandmothers

noun

plural of grandmother
as in grandfathers
the mother of your father or mother

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 grandmothers His grandmothers were hatmakers, his aunts were hatmakers, his mother was a hatmaker, and so, too, was Amélie. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 Black beauty consumers started going back to the natural ingredients their grandmothers might have used, Addae says. — Ava Welsing-Kitcher, Allure, 24 Aug. 2026 Together, the grandmothers have visited over 50 countries on all seven continents and have no plans to slow down. — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2026 Nonna-maxxing has filled social-media feeds with slow mornings, Sunday dinners, homemade pasta, gardening, knitting, and other routines associated with Italian grandmothers. — Angela Haupt, Time, 18 Aug. 2026 He is survived by his parents, his older brother Tucker, his grandmothers, an aunt and uncle and several first cousins. — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026 Multiple generations of families died at Jonestown—grandmothers administered the deadly concoction to their screaming grandchildren before swallowing it themselves. — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026 Students in South Africa talked about going home to the village to see their grandmothers. — Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 12 Aug. 2026 Two of the grandmothers were seated with the couple, while the parents were at the table adjacent to them—equidistant to avoid jealousy and hard feelings. — Alessandra De Tommasi, Vanity Fair, 7 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grandmothers
  1. grandfathers
  2. matriarchs
  3. forefathers
  4. ancestors
  5. forebears
  6. progenitors
Noun
  • Born in Russell County, Virginia, Hubbard was largely raised by his grandfathers, both union coal miners with missing fingers, and still speaks with an Appalachian twang.
    — Michelle Lhooq, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Sorrell, whose grandfathers both played in the majors, slugged 23 home runs and 20 doubles in 56 games while drawing 33 walks and striking out 61 times.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
Definition of grandfathers
Noun
  • Thaha Ibrahim, a Muslim, forged a profound connection with the late Sarah Cohen, one of the neighborhood's Jewish matriarchs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Instead, menopause elevates them to the respected role of matriarchs in their families.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 16 July 2026
Definition of matriarchs
Noun
  • But the truth is that our forefathers were sufficiently individualistic to be iconoclastic.
    — Colin Fleming, New York Daily News, 4 July 2026
  • Our economic systems are not serving the people who live here, whose forefathers established this new republic, and our grandparents actualized the peak of its success.
    — Linh Tat, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
Definition of forefathers
Noun
  • With a sensibility that reminds me of Barbara Cooney’s art and text, Rebecca tells a story inspired by the lives of Beaton’s ancestors.
    — Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Its rise also marks the beginning of the Hindu celebration of Pitru Paksha, during which worshippers perform rites to honor ancestors by offering prayers and food to past members of their families.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of ancestors
Noun
  • Some of his forebears emigrated before the genocide; others barely got out.
    — Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 19 July 2026
  • Over the years, a number of prominent mathematicians tried to prove this guess of their forebears.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 14 July 2026
Definition of forebears
Noun
  • Watching their metronomic thriller does more to suggest the arrival of a hyper-sexualized answer to the Coen brothers than the progeny of William Gibson or the progenitors of multiplex psychedelia.
    — Nick Newman, IndieWire, 1 June 2026
  • Its story of five girls — all navigating preteenagerdom under the stewardship of their tragically well-meaning white dads — stands firmly on its own legs, even staring down some of its progenitors.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 May 2026
Definition of progenitors

Browse Nearby Words

grandmother
grandmothers
grandness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grandmothers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grandmothers. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All