grandma
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does grandma mean? Grandma is an informal word for grandmother—the mother of a person’s parent.When a mother’s child has their own children, that mother becomes a grandma. The word ma is an informal way to say mother.Grandma is often combined with a name, especially when a person has two grandmothers that they call Grandma, as in Grandma Marg and Grandma Marie. Should grandma be capitalized?Grandma should be capitalized when it’s used as a proper name, as in Please tell Grandma that I miss her. But grandma does not need to be capitalized when it’s simply used as a way to refer to her, as in Please tell my grandma that I miss her. Example: It doesn’t matter what you call your grandma, as long as you call her.
Etymology
Origin of grandma
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“During the pandemic I cornered my grandma to make all of her recipes again so I could write them down,” she recalls.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026
The only reason he spent more on a car was that my grandma really wanted one that actually worked.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026
"My grandma is literally an activist," Gauff added.
From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026
If your grandma discovered grandpa voted differently, it was after knowing he was kind, reliable and funny.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026
Abe’s grandma used to have a yard full of flowers you could smell a block away.
From "I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005" by Lauren Tarshis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
