To exempt someone or something from a new rule or requirement because they were part of an existing system before the rule changed.
To let someone keep their old rights or situation because they were already in the system before new rules came in.
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
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."
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'.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "grandfather in" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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