stature
Americannoun
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statures
plural
-
the height of a human or animal body.
-
the height of any object.
-
degree of development attained; level of achievement.
a minister of great stature.
noun
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the height of something, esp a person or animal when standing
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the degree of development of a person
the stature of a champion
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intellectual or moral greatness
a man of stature
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of stature
1250–1300; Middle English < Old French estature < Latin statūra, equivalent to stat ( us ) past participle of stāre to stand + -ūra -ure
Explanation
Stature can refer to a person's height or the high level of respect with which she is regarded. Your grandmother might be small in stature, or height, but have great stature, or esteem, in her community. Stature comes from the Latin word statura, meaning "height, size of body, growth," but today, it also means "a high level of respect gained by achievement." For example, after you win a Nobel Prize, your new stature will bring new fans, more sales of your book, invitations to many exclusive dinner parties, and maybe even your picture on magazine covers all over the world.
Vocabulary lists containing stature
Boy: Tales of Childhood
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Bless Me, Ultima
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Purple Hibiscus
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At first, the relationship was mostly the source of mockery that someone of the his stature apparently needs a full-time ego masseuse who often totes around enormous bags, which have generated speculation about their contents.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
For many in the industry, Liniger’s stature as a woman CEO was as radical and discombobulating as Remax’s business model.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Rybakina's deep returning pinned Sabalenka to the baseline as she broke for a 2-1 lead, which allowed the incoming world number one to grow in stature.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
He noted that learning circus acrobatics and aerial stunts as a teenager gave him the physical agility in the ring to make up for his smaller stature.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
It was dangerous for a spy handler of his stature to get involved romantically with one of his spies.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
It found that shorter and taller statures require joint adjustments to achieve their preferred riding posture.
From Science Daily ● May 6, 2024
"If you go through Haddington there are bollards with goat placards on, there are goat statures, goats on the coat of arms, goats on the secondary school."
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2023
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Kansas City Chiefs won another Super Bowl, elevated the statures of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Coach Andy Reid among the all-time greats and secured major bragging rights within the Kelce family.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 12, 2023
Despite similar statures, the long-arcing pop star and Pulitzer-approved rap laureate land in Seattle at slightly different junctures in their careers.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 16, 2022
This highly refined coordination and cooperation must be multiplied out across eight individuals of varying statures and physiques to make the most of each individual’s strengths.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
