giant

[ jahy-uhnt ]

/ ˈdʒaɪ ənt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: giant / giants on Thesaurus.com

noun

(in folklore) a being with human form but superhuman size, strength, etc.

a person or thing of unusually great size, power, importance, etc.; major figure; legend: a giant in her field; an intellectual giant.

(often initial capital letter)Classical Mythology. any of the Gigantes.

Mining. monitor (def. 12).

Astronomy. giant star.

adjective

unusually large, great, or strong; gigantic; huge.

greater or more eminent than others.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of giant

1250–1300; Middle English geant<Old French <Latin gigant- (stem of gigās) <Greek Gígās; replacing Old English gigant<Latin, as above

OTHER WORDS FROM giant

gi·ant·like, adjective

Words nearby giant

Giacometti, Giaever, Giambologna, Giannini, Gianotti-Crosti syndrome, giant, giant anteater, giant axonal neuropathy, giant cane, giant cell, giant cell arteritis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use giant in a sentence

At Chapman University in Southern California, students are given a self-administered nasal swab test that is then sent to a commercial laboratory in a partnership with diagnostics giant LabCorp.
Even the most cautious schools are seeing outbreaks|Sy Mukherjee|September 17, 2020|Fortune
In North Africa, they’re up against a giant owned by tech titan Google — and one that catered to the region, when no one else would.
The Biggest Challenge for Apple and Spotify in North Africa: YouTube|Eromo Egbejule|September 17, 2020|Ozy
Inside were 864 servers, and their submersion was part of the second phase of the software giant’s Project Natick.
Microsoft Had a Crazy Idea to Put Servers Under Water—and It Totally Worked|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|September 17, 2020|Singularity Hub
In the British oil and gas giant’s Energy Outlook, published Monday, BP outlines three possible growth scenarios between now and 2050—dubbed Rapid, Net Zero and Business as Usual.
There’s growing consensus that oil demand won’t make a comeback|eamonbarrett|September 17, 2020|Fortune

Meanwhile, quiet giant Shopify is leveraging its website-as-a-service business to offer financial products to its millions of merchant customers.
‘Square is a beast’|Jeff|September 16, 2020|Fortune
Yeah, the “Giant man-puppy” that is Gronkowski won't hold a sexual candle to the blue-eyed dreamboat.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I knew there would be good times and bad, sickness and health, broken dishwashers and giant cockroaches in the bathroom.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder|Carrie Arnold|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No alarms were triggered as she strolled out of the Giant supermarket in Limerick, Pennsylvania, and nobody thought otherwise.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks|M.L. Nestel|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Until Levonuk reappeared an hour later wielding the soothing stuff at another Giant store 20 minutes away.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks|M.L. Nestel|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The forests were lush and filled with life, from giant snakes to monkeys.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The lazy giant was sprawling on the most comfortable of the sofas; the pair were alone in the dainty little drawing-room.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
There he was found by old Makitok, and for some time the giant and the wizard held converse together.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
And the nightmare clutch laid hold upon his heart with giant pincers.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
In the second part of the poem the lady is threatened by an unwelcome suitor, in the person of a hideous giant.
The Three Days' Tournament|Jessie L. Weston
The wind sang in his ears, and rock, bush, and stunted tree flashed by like so many missiles hurled at him by a giant hand.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews

British Dictionary definitions for giant

giant

/ (ˈdʒaɪənt) /

noun

a mythical figure of superhuman size and strength, esp in folklore or fairy talesAlso (feminine): giantess (ˈdʒaɪəntɪs)

a person or thing of exceptional size, reputation, etca giant in nuclear physics

Greek myth any of the large and powerful offspring of Uranus (sky) and Gaea (earth) who rebelled against the Olympian gods but were defeated in battle

pathol a person suffering from gigantism

astronomy See giant star

mining another word for monitor (def. 8)

adjective

remarkably or supernaturally large

architect another word for colossal

Derived forms of giant

giant-like, adjective

Word Origin for giant

C13: from Old French geant, from Vulgar Latin gagās (unattested), from Latin gigās, gigant-, from Greek

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

giant

Origin of giant

OTHER WORDS FROM giant

Words nearby giant

Words related to giant

How to use giant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for giant

Derived forms of giant

Word Origin for giant