grampa

[ gram-pah, -paw, -puh ]

noun

, Informal.

1. grandfather.

Word History and Origins

Origin of grampa¹

First recorded in 1850–55; alteration of grandpa ( def )

Example Sentences

He returned to us as a hard-of-hearing grampa putting up with his kid loudly banging his girlfriend in the other room, morosely insisting to Carrie that he was fully devoted to the promise of 'til death do us part.

From Salon

I wasn’t sure just how Mr. Patterson’s grampa mobile translated to a limousine, but I felt so grateful that we might actually get to Maine that I blurted out, “You wanna come too?”

From Literature

“I added the eyelashes and lips. Grampa doesn’t much like them. He’s more of a traditionalist when it comes to lures. And most everything else.”

From Literature

“I made it. My grampa carves them, and I paint them. He was a pretty famous angler. People around here call him Kingfish. I’d love a nickname like that.”

From Literature

Dear Amy: “Grampa” was worried that his grandsons were overweight.

From Washington Post

More About Grampa

What does grampa mean?

Grampa is an informal word for grandfather—the father of a person’s parent.

It’s a variant of the word grandpa, which is commonly pronounced like grampa.

Grampa should be capitalized when it’s used as a proper name, as in Please tell Grampa that I miss him. 

But grampa does not need to be capitalized when it’s simply used as a way to refer to him, as in Please tell my grampa that I miss him. 

Example: It doesn’t matter what you call your grampa, as long as you call him.

Where does grampa come from?

The first records of the word grampa come from the 1850s. Grampa comes from grandpa, in which the word pa (a shortening of papa) is an informal way to say father. The prefix grand- is used in family terms to indicate a person who is one generation removed, as in grandparent and grandchild.

Grandfathers often have special bonds with their grandchildren (who they’re known to spoil with love, affection, and candy). It’s common for grandchildren to refer to their grandfathers with informal names. Grandpa is perhaps the most common variant of the word grandfather, but there are many others, including grampa, gramps, grandpop, grandpapa, and grandpappy. Many families have their own specific version, such as Pop-Pop, Poppy, and Pa Pa.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for grampa?

• grandpa
• grandpapa
• grandpappy
• gramps
• grandpop
• pop-pop
• grandfather

What are some words that share a root or word element with grampa? 

• grandparent
• grandma
• pa
• papa

What are some words that often get used in discussing grampa?

• grandchildren
• love
• kindness
• spoil
• special
• care
• family
• patriarch

How is grampa used in real life?

Grampa is one of the many informal variants of the word grandfather. When it’s used as a proper name, Grampa should be capitalized.

I have decades worth of greeting cards to my grampa from my gram. They don't say much other than "love, your wife" and the year but the sheer volume is impressive and a testament to the love.

— Heidi (@Heidibgoode) August 19, 2020

my grandparents talking about Hallmark-

Grampa: Autumn Love? It’s the middle of summer!

Grammy: Lance, love has no time frame.

— _brynnie_ (@brynnie64067476) August 17, 2020

"Stripes are very in right now" -grandfather on subway reading Teen Vogue with his little girl (aka best grampa ever)

— Kaitlin Monte 𝔽𝕆𝕏𝟚𝟞 (@kaitlinmonte) January 26, 2013

 

 

Try using grampa!

Is grampa used correctly in the following sentence?

My grampa is 98 years old and is as active as ever.