# grandfather

/ˈɡɹænˌfɑðɝ/ (US) · /ɡɹˈændfɑːðɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/grandfather
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. parent's father

noun · CEFR A1

the father of your mother or your father.

For teachers: the male parent of one's father or mother.

- My grandfather tells us stories about what life was like when he was a boy.
- After retiring from the civil service, her grandfather spent most of his afternoons tending to the community garden.

### 2. male ancestor

noun · CEFR B2 · Literary

a male relative from a long time ago in your family history.

For teachers: a male ancestor or forefather.

- The traditions of our grandfathers are still important to our village today.
- The historian traced the family lineage back to their grandfathers who first settled in the valley during the eighteenth century.

### 3. legacy data backup

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

an older version of a computer file used for safety.

For teachers: the oldest generation of a three-generation backup rotation scheme, preceding the 'father' and 'son' files.

- The IT department keeps the grandfather tapes in a separate building for safety.
- In a standard rotation, the grandfather file is updated monthly and stored off-site to ensure data recovery in the event of a total system failure.

### 4. to exempt from new rules

verb · CEFR C1 · American English · Formal

to allow someone to follow an old rule even after a new rule starts.

For teachers: to exempt a person or entity from a new regulation based on their previous status. Often used as 'grandfather in'.

- The city changed the building laws, but they grandfathered in the old houses.
- Existing homeowners were grandfathered into the previous tax bracket, sparing them from the sudden increase mandated by the new legislation.

Usage: Often appears in the phrasal form 'grandfather in' or as the passive 'be grandfathered'.

## Examples

- My grandfather lives in a small house by the sea.
- Every summer, the children visit their grandfather on his farm to help with the harvest.
- The legal dispute over the estate required the heirs to prove their direct lineage back to their great-great grandfather through a series of verified birth certificates.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.