tall

[tawl]

adjective

taller, tallest 

1. having a relatively great height; of more than average stature: tall grass.

   a tall woman;

   tall grass.

   Antonyms: short

2. having stature or height as specified.

   a man six feet tall.

3. large in amount or degree; considerable.

   a tall price;

   Swinging that deal is a tall order.

4. extravagant; difficult to believe.

   a tall tale.

5. high-flown; grandiloquent.

   He engages in so much tall talk, one never really knows what he's saying.

6. having more than usual length; long and relatively narrow.

   He carried a tall walking stick.

7. (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.

8. Tall, (of beverages at Starbucks coffee shops) being of a small size equal to 12 ounces (354 milliliters).

9. Archaic.,  valiant.

10. Obsolete.

    1. seemly; proper.

    2. fine; handsome.

adverb

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

   to stand tall;

   to walk tall.

noun

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

tall

/ tɔːl /

adjective

1. of more than average height

2. 1. (postpositive) having a specified height

      a woman five feet tall

   2. ( in combination )

      a twenty-foot-tall partition

3. informal,  exaggerated or incredible

   a tall story

4. informal,  difficult to accomplish

   a tall order

5. an archaic word for excellent

Other Word Forms

• tallness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tall¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tall¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

• walk tall

Synonym Study

See high.

Example Sentences

"Thankfully we are in a good position after that and put up a tall score."

Read more on Barron's

The engravings, which depict animals such as camels, ibex, equids, gazelles, and aurochs, include 130 highly detailed and life-sized figures, some reaching up to 3 meters long and more than 2 meters tall.

Read more on Science Daily

He added: "It's a tall order. Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson did such a remarkable job over the years."

Read more on BBC

Union-friendly labor standards, which advocates say diminished the effectiveness of earlier housing bills, were dropped for all but the tallest buildings.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Me, a mild-mannered, bespectacled newspaperman, suddenly able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• big 
• great 
• lanky 
• rangy 
• soaring 
• towering