A warm Geordie and broader northern English and Scots term for a grandchild — combining 'grand' with 'bairn', the northern word for a child. Where southern English speakers say grandchild and Americans say grandkid, Geordies say grandbairn, and it carries an unmistakable tenderness. It's the word a Tyneside grandmother uses when talking about the little ones, and it captures something of the fierce, particular affection of the northeast in its sound alone.
She lit up completely when her grandbairn came running through the door and wrapped his arms around her legs.
No comments yet — say something.
(Geordie) A grandchild.
No comments yet — say something.
Add your own interpretation of "grandbairn".
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.