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 Odyssey” had to conjure the grand scale and mythic weight of Homer’s epic poem, the original hero’s journey, which has been a wellspring of western storytelling for thousands of years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The Oscar winner said he wasn’t trying to be “difficult” but he knew that an adaptation of such a grand story required “things that you haven’t seen before.”
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
A probe into donations allegedly siphoned off at India's grand Ram temple has renewed scrutiny of how religious sites manage vast amounts of cash and gold entrusted to them by devotees.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
Spa has a reputation as one of the greatest race tracks on the planet, but this weekend's grand prix has confirmed fears that the new engines introduced this year have neutered much of its challenge.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The blackboard wasn’t anything as grand as slate.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" 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
The various members of the Pike family—parents, grand- parents, et al.—each thought someone else had bought Danny the new bicycle.
From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
Russell said it was "nice to feel the groove again", having failed to score points in the past two grands prix.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 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
Mercedes have a major upgrade on their car for this race, which Russell said they expected would be a "decent" step forward for their car, which has won all four grands prix this season.
From BBC ● May 21, 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
Eschewing grander historical parallels, Vaez calls the current situation a "plastic moment", pregnant with possibility as old adversaries contemplate a different set of relationships.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
The presidents were chosen by the sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who initially had grander plans for the memorial.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 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
It's as beautiful as the picture Appa drew for Amma, but much grander than the photo Bedi Ma'am showed me.
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
It was the first time since Tom Watson in 1977 that a 72nd green birdie had secured golf's oldest and grandest title by a single shot.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
While Messi has spent his entire life playing for the world’s grandest teams—Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Argentina—Vozinha had only turned professional at 25, plying his trade in Angola, Moldova and Cyprus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 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
That one had live horses, framing the venue as a place for the grandest of spectacles.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
Once a fine-looking manor, and easily the largest and grandest building for miles around, the Riddle House was now damp, derelict, and unoccupied.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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.
