grandpa

grandpa — noun

1. the father of one of your parents; an informal and affectionate term used in pla

1.nounA2
Definition

the father of one of your parents; an informal and affectionate term used in place of 'grandfather', especially when speaking directly to him or referring to him in a family setting.

Example

Yara visits her grandpa every Sunday afternoon to have tea with him.

collocation: visits + grandpa

Tomás asked his grandpa to teach him how to fish at the lake.

collocation: asked + grandpa + to-infinitive

Common collocations
  • visit grandpa
  • grandpa tells stories
  • help grandpa
  • grandpa's house
  • with grandpa
Synonyms
  • granddad

    equally informal; more common in British English

  • grandfather

    neutral and more formal; used in official or distant contexts

  • gramps

    very informal; can sound slightly humorous or teasing

Antonyms
  • grandma

    the female equivalent (grandmother)

Usage Note

Informal register — 'grandpa' is less formal than 'grandfather' and is the common term used within families and when speaking directly to one's grandfather. More formal alternatives include 'grandfather' (neutral) and 'granddad' (also informal, but more common in British English).

Common Mistakes

My grandpa is 80 years old and he still works every day.
My grandpa is 80 and still works every day.
'years old' is not wrong but 'grandpa' signals informal speech, so a shorter style sounds more natural.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words refer to a person's father's or mother's father, but they differ in tone and setting. 'Grandfather' is the neutral, formal term — you would use it in writing, introductions, or when speaking about someone else's grandparent. 'Grandpa' is the most common everyday term in American English, used warmly within families. 'Granddad' is equally informal but more frequent in British English. 'Gramps' is very casual and can carry a teasing or affectionate tone, often used by adults rather than young children. For example: 'My grandfather served in the navy' (factual statement); 'Grandpa, can you read me a story?' (warm, direct address); 'Old Gramps is napping again' (humorous, familiar).

grandfather ↗granddadgramps

Common collocations

Nouns

  • grandpa's house
  • grandpa's stories
  • grandpa's garden

Phrases

  • visit grandpa
  • stay with grandpa
  • live with grandpa
  • help grandpa

Etymology

Old FrenchEnglish

Formed by shortening 'grandfather' to a child-friendly reduplicated form, similar to 'grandma'. The prefix 'grand-' came from Old French 'grant' (meaning 'big' or 'great'), and 'father' traces back to Old English 'fæder'. The shortened form 'grandpa' appeared in the late 1800s as a familiar family term.