grandson

IPA/ˈɡrænsʌn/
KK[ɡrˈændsˌʌn]IPA/ˈɡrænsʌn/

grandson — noun

  • grandsonsingular
  • grandsonsplural

1. a boy or man who is the child of one of your children — your son's or daughter's

1.nounA2
Definition

a boy or man who is the child of one of your children — your son's or daughter's male child.

Example

Priya's grandson drew a picture of their family for her birthday.

possessive + grandson as subject (family relationship pattern)

The night-shift nurse showed her grandson the hospital's emergency room.

showed + grandson + a place (introducing to new place)

Common collocations
  • great-grandson
  • first grandson
  • youngest grandson
  • oldest grandson
  • only grandson
  • grandson of
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

my/his/her/their + grandson

the + grandson + of + [person]

[person]'s + grandson

Usage Note

Unlike Chinese, where 孫子 may specifically mean a son's son and 外孫 means a daughter's son, English grandson covers both — the gender of the intermediate parent does not change the word.

Common Mistakes

She has two grandsons — a boy and a girl.
She has a grandson and a granddaughter.
grandson refers only to a male child; granddaughter is the correct word for a female child.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Grandson refers specifically to a male grandchild, while grandchild is a gender-neutral term that covers both grandsons and granddaughters. Granddaughter is the female equivalent — use it when you know the child is a girl. Descendant is a much broader term that includes grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and anyone who comes after you in a family line, not just your children's children. For example: 'She has one grandson and two granddaughters' uses specific gendered terms. 'All four of her grandchildren visit every month' uses the neutral term. 'He is a descendant of the poet's family' spans many generations and is not limited to grandchildren.

grandchild ↗granddaughter ↗descendant ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • great-grandson

Phrases

  • the grandson of someone

Prepositions

Etymology

Old FrenchOld EnglishEnglish

The word grandson comes from combining grand- (from Old French 'grand' meaning 'large' or 'great', used in family words to show one generation removed) and son (from Old English 'sunu'). This grand- prefix first appeared in English family terms around the 1200s–1300s to mark relationships that skip a generation, such as grandfather, grandmother, and grandchild.