grandfather in
C1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To let someone keep their old rights or situation because they were already in the system before new rules came in.
Meanings
1 C1
idiomatic
neutral
To allow someone or something to continue operating under old rules when new regulations would otherwise apply to them.
"Existing licence holders were grandfathered in and don't need to sit the new examination."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Originally from US law and politics ('grandfather clause'). Now widely used in business, technology, and policy contexts. Common in American English; the concept is understood in British English but the phrasal verb is less frequently used there. Almost always passive: 'they were grandfathered in'.
Commonly used with
policy regulation licence contract requirement exemption
Forms
Base
grandfather in
I/you/we/they
3rd person
grandfathers in
he/she/it
Past simple
grandfathered in
yesterday
Past participle
grandfathered in
have + pp
-ing form
grandfathering in
continuous
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