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grandma

grandma

∞ 1.0
A woman who is the mother of your father or mother
  • noun
  • /ˈɡrændˌmɑː/
  • Informal
: abuela
  • So a month after my grandma's passing, we got a call.
  • grandma and grandpa
  • said grandma
  • grandma's death

I will say this, this came from grandma and aunt Victoria.

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Examples

  • Then my mom and my grandma packed up my clothes in a suitcase.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Have you visited your grandma recently? She would love to see you.

  • Anyway, my grandma had one of them.

  • Toward evening, he took me to stay with his grandma in the country.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Hi kids, come and tell your grandma childhood stories.

  • Have you heard from your grandma?

  • Do you want to talk with grandma?

  • We're going to get some gifts for Grandma and Jaden Bear.

  • It's a good thing your grandma isn't awake; she'd be worried sick.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • My grandma always tells the best stories from her childhood.

Synonyms

grandmother
vsgrandma
∞ 1.0

A mother of one of your parents

is the informal, familiar family name rather than the formal one
granny
vsgrandma
  • Informal
174 1.0

An older woman who is your grandmother or a friendly older family member

refers specifically to a parent’s mother rather than any older woman
nana
vsgrandma
  • Informal
137 7.9

A friendly name used for your grandmother

is similar but may sound more neutral or modern
gran
vsgrandma
  • UK
44 5.3

A woman who is the mother of your mother or father

is a slightly longer familiar form used more widely
Grammy
vsgrandma
  • Informal
41 2.9

A friendly name family members use for a grandmother

is similar affection but more neutral in sound and usage
nan
vsgrandma
  • Baby Talk
25 9.1

A child's word for grandmother used in Britain

is more general and not tied to British child speech specifically
grandmama
vsgrandma
  • Archaic
19 5.0

A loving old-fashioned word for the mother of your parent

is shorter and feels more familiar in everyday talk
abuelita
vsgrandma
  • Informal
11 9.3

A Spanish word for grandmother used lovingly by family members

is the plain English family name rather than a borrowed term
gramma
vsgrandma
  • Informal
7 7.2

A friendly name family members use for a grandmother

is the neutral family name rather than playful or childlike
grandmom
vsgrandma
  • Informal
4 2.0

The mother of your mother or father

is equally informal but slightly more common in everyday speech
grandmamma
vsgrandma
  • Archaic
3 8.1

An old-fashioned, loving name for a child's grandmother

is more casual and less literary in tone
grannie
vsgrandma
  • UK
1 1.0

An older woman who is the mother of one of your parents

is comparable but often favours adult informal speech
grandam
vsgrandma
  • Archaic
1 9.9

An old-fashioned word for a grandmother

is the everyday family term rather than literary or formal
Oma
vsgrandma
  • UK
1 9.0

A grandmother in families with German or Dutch background

is the general English family name not tied to that culture
grandmammy
vsgrandma
  • Informal
1 8.7

An older woman who is the mother of your parent

is more modern and widely used in casual contexts
grand-mère
vsgrandma
7.9

A grandmother who is called by the French word

is the common English family name used across contexts

Idioms

Give advice to someone who already knows more than you

How Formal

grandmother
∞ 1.0
grandma
  • Informal
∞ 1.0
grandmom
  • Informal
4 2.0
grandmammy
  • Informal
1 8.7

Surface Forms

grandma singular
grandmas plural

Etymology

Grandma is a short form of grandmother, made of grand and ma, where grand marks an older generation (as in grandfather) and ma is a simple, informal word for 'mother'. So, grandma names the 'mother' one generation above you, which is why it means 'grandmother'.