unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions.
A great fire destroyed nearly half the city.
large in number; numerous.
Great hordes of tourists descend on Europe each summer.
unusual or considerable in degree, power, intensity, etc..
great pain.
wonderful; very good; first-rate.
We had a great time.
That's great!
being such in an extreme or notable degree.
great friends;
a great talker.
exceptionally outstanding; notable; remarkable.
a great occasion.
highly significant or consequential; important.
the great issues in American history.
a great inventor.
of noble or lofty character.
great thoughts.
chief or principal.
the great hall;
his greatest novel.
of high rank, official position, or social standing.
a great noble.
much in use or favor.
“Humor” was a great word with the old physiologists.
of extraordinary powers; having unusual merit; very admirable.
a great statesman.
of considerable duration or length.
We waited a great while for the train.
Informal.
being of one generation more remote from the family relative specified (used in combination).
a great-grandson.
a person who has achieved importance or distinction in a field.
She is one of the theater's greats.
great persons, collectively.
England's literary great.
Also called great go. (often initial capital letter) greats,
the final examination for the bachelor's degree in the classics and mathematics, or Literae Humaniores, especially at Oxford University and usually for honors.
the course of study.
the subject studied.
(used to express acceptance, appreciation, approval, admiration, etc.)
(used ironically or facetiously to express disappointment, annoyance, distress, etc.).
Great! We just missed the last train home.
relatively large in size or extent; big
relatively large in number; having many parts or members
a great assembly
of relatively long duration
a great wait
of larger size or more importance than others of its kind
the great auk
extreme or more than usual
great worry
of significant importance or consequence
a great decision
of exceptional talents or achievements; remarkable
a great writer
( as noun )
the great
one of the greats
arising from or possessing idealism in thought, action, etc; heroic
great deeds
illustrious or eminent
a great history
impressive or striking
a great show of wealth
much in use; favoured
poetry was a great convention of the Romantic era
active or enthusiastic
a great walker
doing or exemplifying (a characteristic or pursuit) on a large scale
what a great buffoon
he's not a great one for reading
(often foll by at) skilful or adroit
a great carpenter
you are great at singing
informal excellent; fantastic
informal (intensifier)
a dirty great smack in the face
archaic
pregnant
great with child
full (of)
great with hope
(intensifier, used in mild oaths)
Great Scott!
informal
to be informed about
to be enthusiastic about or for
being the parent of a person's grandparent (in the combinations great-grandfather, great-grandmother, great-grandparent )
being the child of a person's grandchild (in the combinations great-grandson, great-granddaughter, great-grandchild )
What are other ways to say great? Something that is great may be unusually or comparatively large in size or number. How is great different from the adjectives large and big? Find out more on Thesaurus.com.
First recorded before 900; Middle English greet, Old English grēat; cognate with Dutch groot, German gross
As an adjective great describes things that are very good, large, or important — like a great movie, a great forest, or a great battle that changed the course of a war. Great can also be a noun: a person who is a legend in his or her field, like Aretha Franklin, a soul great, or Wayne Gretzky — a hockey great who became known as "the Great One." Only a few people qualify for the distinction of being a great — it takes a remarkable talent that continues to awe people long after the person's heyday.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I'm going to have to stretch my budget even more this month, with great difficulty," he added.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
"She could play a great complementary diplomatic role, which is particularly important now, because Hungary's transformation attracts significant international interest," Kreko added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Say adios to Argentina: For a great number of soccer fans, Argentina evoked the feeling of getting away with something.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
That she was a vocalist with great lung power had never been missed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Shingles peeled from the walls in great sheaths.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
I’ve lived to this age, I’ve seen my seven children grow up, my 21 grandchildren and 65 great- and great-great grandchildren.’
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 5, 2023
Think about that: The most plausible explanation for this series of events is that George Richardson’s father, my great- great-great grandfather, was born aboard a slave ship.
From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2022
My great- grandmother, my grandmother, my father — they inspired me.
From New York Times ● Mar. 16, 2021
Graphic: Bond returns in 2021: not so great-
From Reuters ● Mar. 10, 2021
I think about my great- and great-great-grandparents and all those early Buttles.
From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor
Yet the lasting images from both tournaments are of all-time greats such as Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi dancing on the field.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
"The 1958 tournament was the last real goal-fest tournament. You had the emerging Brazil team with Pele, but also the French team were all-time greats," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, Kelly Holmes - you name it, many greats have raced here.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
While much of the source material comes from elsewhere, the cumulative mood is extremely personal to an artist who has spent his life helping the greats find true expression.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
For those looking for a good time, the State Street “Stroll,” between Twenty-Sixth and Thirty-Ninth Streets, offered a lively place to listen to the jazz greats and exchange the latest gossip.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
She also flagged the potential arrival of a "super El Nino" this year, referring to a climate phenomenon that brings "an extended dry season and a greater risk of forest fires."
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
An ETF that happened to include South Korea suddenly acquired much greater exposure to AI hardware than one that did not.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Younger animals were better able to support themselves on two legs, while adults probably experienced much greater strain because of their increasing weight.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
Paradoxically, this shift has happened as the public has gained greater knowledge about mental-health issues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
But the flames gave them comfort greater than heat.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
He is cementing his place as the greatest.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
The pro-European Union conservative leader was to meet Polgar, who is considered the greatest woman chess player of all time, on Monday to ask if she would take the post.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
The potential for that is greatest Monday morning and again Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Soccer’s greatest ever—now a full on Florida man—remains great.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
All they’re doing is walking down the street, and somehow it’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
