Meaning & use
grandfather clause
A provision that allows people or organizations already following an old rule to be exempt from a new rule or law.
See it in a sentence
The updated safety code included a grandfather clause exempting buildings constructed before 2005.
Thanks to the grandfather clause, longtime employees kept their original pension plan after the policy changed.
A note on using this word
The term originated from discriminatory voting laws in the post-Civil War American South, though it is now used neutrally in law and business.
Words with a similar meaning
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