tall

[ tawl ]
See synonyms for tall on Thesaurus.com
adjective,tall·er, tall·est.
  1. having a relatively great height; of more than average stature: a tall woman;tall grass.

  2. having stature or height as specified: a man six feet tall.

  1. large in amount or degree; considerable: a tall price;Swinging that deal is a tall order.

  2. extravagant; difficult to believe: a tall tale.

  3. high-flown; grandiloquent: He engages in so much tall talk, one never really knows what he's saying.

  4. having more than usual length; long and relatively narrow: He carried a tall walking stick.

  5. (of a drink) consisting of liquor mixed with other ingredients and served in a large glass, as a cocktail: We watched as he put together a Mamie Taylor, a tall drink with Scotch, ginger beer, and lime.

  6. Tall, (of beverages at Starbucks coffee shops) being of a small size equal to 12 ounces (354 milliliters).: Compare Grande, Venti.

  7. Archaic. valiant.

  8. Obsolete.

    • seemly; proper.

    • fine; handsome.

adverb
  1. in a proud, confident, or erect manner: to stand tall;to walk tall.

noun
  1. Tall, (at Starbucks coffee shops) a small size of beverage equal to 12 ounces (354 milliliters).: Compare Grande, Venti.

Origin of tall

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English: “big, bold, comely, proper, ready,” Old English getæl (plural getale ) “quick, ready, competent”; cognate with Old High German gizal “quick”

synonym study For tall

2. See high.

Opposites for tall

Other words from tall

  • tall·ness, noun

Words Nearby tall

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tall in a sentence

  • A tall phantom in livery appeared, as if by magic, and signed to me to ascend the grand staircase.

  • He is rather tall and narrow, and wears a long abb's coat reaching nearly down to his feet.

  • He was tall and of familiar figure, and the firelight was playing in the tossed curls of his short, fair hair.

    The Bondboy | George W. (George Washington) Ogden
  • She threw out her arms as if swimming when she walked, beating the tall grass as one strikes out in the water.

  • The way was under a double row of tall trees, which met at the top and formed a green arch over our heads.

British Dictionary definitions for tall

tall

/ (tɔːl) /


adjective
  1. of more than average height

    • (postpositive) having a specified height: a woman five feet tall

    • (in combination): a twenty-foot-tall partition

  1. informal exaggerated or incredible: a tall story

  2. informal difficult to accomplish: a tall order

  3. an archaic word for excellent

Origin of tall

1
C14 (in the sense: big, comely, valiant); related to Old English getæl prompt, Old High German gizal quick, Gothic untals foolish

Derived forms of tall

  • tallness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with tall

tall

In addition to the idioms beginning with tall

  • tall order
  • tall tale

also see:

  • walk tall

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.