grand old man

noun

: a venerated practitioner or former practitioner of an art, profession, or sport
the grand old man of jazz

Examples of grand old man in a Sentence

the grand old man of the American theater
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The grand old man of guidebooks may be gone, but many of us will be following his lead for a good long time. Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024 Advertisement In the city of L.A. itself, the grand old man of adobes is the Avila Adobe, built in 1818 by Francisco Avila, once mayor of the city. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grand old man was in 1838

Dictionary Entries Near grand old man

Cite this Entry

“Grand old man.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grand%20old%20man. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.

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