grand
adjective
impressive in size, appearance, or general effect.
grand
1 American
[grand]
/ grænd /
adjective
-
grander,
comparative
-
grandest
superlative
-
impressive in size, appearance, or general effect.
grand mountain scenery.
- Antonyms:
- insignificant
-
stately, majestic, or dignified.
In front of an audience her manner is grand and regal.
- Antonyms:
- unassuming, modest
-
highly ambitious or idealistic.
grand ideas for bettering the political situation.
-
magnificent or splendid.
a grand palace.
-
noble or revered.
a grand old man.
-
highest, or very high, in rank or official dignity.
a grand potentate.
-
main or principal; chief.
the grand ballroom.
- Antonyms:
- minor
-
of great importance, distinction, or pretension.
a man used to entertaining grand personages.
-
complete or comprehensive.
a grand total.
- Synonyms:
- inclusive
-
pretending to grandeur, as a result of minor success, good fortune, etc.; conceited.
Jane is awfully grand since she got promoted.
-
first-rate; very good; splendid.
to have a grand time; to feel grand.
-
Music. written on a large scale or for a large ensemble.
a grand fugue.
noun
-
grands,
plural
-
grand
plural
-
Informal. an amount equal to a thousand dollars.
The cops found most of the loot, but they're still missing about five grand.
grand-
2
American
grand
1
British
/ ɡrænd /
adjective
-
large or impressive in size, extent, or consequence
grand mountain scenery
-
characterized by or attended with magnificence or display; sumptuous
a grand feast
-
of great distinction or pretension; dignified or haughty
-
designed to impress
he punctuated his story with grand gestures
-
very good; wonderful
-
comprehensive; complete
a grand total
-
worthy of respect; fine
a grand old man
-
large or impressive in conception or execution
grand ideas
-
most important; chief
the grand arena
noun
-
short for grand piano
-
slang a thousand pounds or dollars
grand-
2
British
prefix
Usage
What does grand- mean? Grand- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “one generation more remote." It is typically used in genealogical terms. Grand- comes from Latin grandis, meaning “great,” “large,” or "full-grown." The Greek translation of grandis is mégas, meaning “big” or “great.” Mégas is the source of the combining form mega-. To learn more, check out our entry on mega-. What are variants of grand-?While not a variant of grand- in this sense exactly, the prefix great- is used to indicate further generations remote, as in great-grandparent, or parent two generations removed.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of grand1
First recorded in 1350–1400; 1920–25 grand for def. 14; Middle English gra(u)nd, gra(u)nt, from Old French grant, grand, from Latin grandis “great, large, full-grown”
Origin of grand-2
Special use of grand
Explanation
Something that's grand is large and impressive. A fancy, catered birthday party with a guest list of hundreds could be described as grand. The adjective grand can be used in many different ways: it can describe big things, like a grand piano or the Grand Canyon, or luxurious things, like the grand leather seats in your dad's Cadillac. You can also use grand to simply mean "wonderful," as when you exclaim, "Chocolate cake for dessert! Isn't this grand!" Grand is also a slang term for "a thousand dollars." The Latin root is grandis, "big, great, full, or abundant."
Vocabulary lists containing grand
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:
The president has asserted that the new ballroom was needed to accommodate grand parties and state visits and would improve security.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
His grand jury indictment did not come until January 2025.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
It’s not the sort of place where grand history happens, and yet, in 1971 this sleepy burg was the site of a world-historic upset.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
The resulting series is a very grand, real-life chronicle of a lion cub named Kio and how he becomes a king.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Another door was cut into one of the walls, so this must be part of a suite, possibly a grand one.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
She’s clearly positioned in the film as an intellectually rich matriarch—there are lovingly shot images of her with her grand- and great-grandchildren on the beach, and footage of her playing Bach.
From Slate ● Apr. 16, 2026
“A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father and a proud grand- and great-grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility and purpose,” the family wrote.
From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2025
“A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand- and great-grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility and purpose,” his family wrote on Instagram.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2025
Immigrants’ American-born grand- and great-grandchildren are grasping backward through time and bureaucracy, hoping their ancestors might now provide them with a way to start over back in the motherland.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 29, 2022
A week with the grand- ’rents and I was desperate enough to contemplate the vile crime of beef felony.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
The 19-year-old has won five races and set six pole positions in 10 grands prix so far this season before Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix and is leading Russell by 25 points.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Hamilton out-qualified Leclerc only seven times last year across all qualifying sessions, over 24 grands prix and six sprints.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
It’s not to be confused with Apple TV’s sports offerings, such as MLS matches, Formula One grands prix, or Friday baseball.
From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2026
Meadows calls the domaine’s namesake wine an aggregator of the top qualities of all the grands crus, Burgundy’s top-tier vineyards, forming a mystical combination of aromatics and liquid silk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
While other children were having their parents or their dentists pull out their baby teeth, I was knocking mine out with my feet when I did grands battements.
From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince
What stood out most was and is their profound appreciation for a grander inspirational source: the world of Studio Ghibli, brought to life by Hayao Miyazaki.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
He "made my world so much brighter, grander and more delightful than I could have ever understood it to be", she wrote on Instagram.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
Monaco's royal Christmas card is much grander, with a big fire, oil painting, formal clothes, and a sense of regal order.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2025
In Paris, it’s planning an even grander statement: a vast new flagship incorporating hotel rooms and space to exhibit art from its foundation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025
Here and there stood stone buildings of even grander proportions.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
Whereas Welsh national teams only used to dream of playing on the world's grandest stages, there is now an expectation they get there – and that stems from 2016.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Then again, even though “Goal” was shown only on video monitors, the Bowl with its new sound system worked brilliantly as the grandest cinema on the planet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
West Ham forward Hurst scored a fabulous hat-trick as the Three Lions clinched the game's grandest prize for the only time in their history - and on home soil.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
Folded into the cozy slide-show vibe of Magnason’s home videos and the carefully chosen archival footage, the movie plays like a scrapbook portrait in which home just happens to boast the grandest of backyards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Jordan College was the grandest and richest of all the colleges in Oxford.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
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.
