unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions.
A great fire destroyed nearly half the city.
large in number; numerous.
Great hordes of tourists descend on Europe each summer.
unusual or considerable in degree, power, intensity, etc..
great pain.
wonderful; very good; first-rate.
We had a great time.
That's great!
being such in an extreme or notable degree.
great friends;
a great talker.
exceptionally outstanding; notable; remarkable.
a great occasion.
highly significant or consequential; important.
the great issues in American history.
a great inventor.
of noble or lofty character.
great thoughts.
chief or principal.
the great hall;
his greatest novel.
of high rank, official position, or social standing.
a great noble.
much in use or favor.
“Humor” was a great word with the old physiologists.
of extraordinary powers; having unusual merit; very admirable.
a great statesman.
of considerable duration or length.
We waited a great while for the train.
Informal.
being of one generation more remote from the family relative specified (used in combination).
a great-grandson.
a person who has achieved importance or distinction in a field.
She is one of the theater's greats.
great persons, collectively.
England's literary great.
Also called great go. (often initial capital letter) greats,
the final examination for the bachelor's degree in the classics and mathematics, or Literae Humaniores, especially at Oxford University and usually for honors.
the course of study.
the subject studied.
(used to express acceptance, appreciation, approval, admiration, etc.)
(used ironically or facetiously to express disappointment, annoyance, distress, etc.).
Great! We just missed the last train home.
relatively large in size or extent; big
relatively large in number; having many parts or members
a great assembly
of relatively long duration
a great wait
of larger size or more importance than others of its kind
the great auk
extreme or more than usual
great worry
of significant importance or consequence
a great decision
of exceptional talents or achievements; remarkable
a great writer
( as noun )
the great
one of the greats
arising from or possessing idealism in thought, action, etc; heroic
great deeds
illustrious or eminent
a great history
impressive or striking
a great show of wealth
much in use; favoured
poetry was a great convention of the Romantic era
active or enthusiastic
a great walker
doing or exemplifying (a characteristic or pursuit) on a large scale
what a great buffoon
he's not a great one for reading
(often foll by at) skilful or adroit
a great carpenter
you are great at singing
informal excellent; fantastic
informal (intensifier)
a dirty great smack in the face
archaic
pregnant
great with child
full (of)
great with hope
(intensifier, used in mild oaths)
Great Scott!
informal
to be informed about
to be enthusiastic about or for
being the parent of a person's grandparent (in the combinations great-grandfather, great-grandmother, great-grandparent )
being the child of a person's grandchild (in the combinations great-grandson, great-granddaughter, great-grandchild )
What are other ways to say great? Something that is great may be unusually or comparatively large in size or number. How is great different from the adjectives large and big? Find out more on Thesaurus.com.
First recorded before 900; Middle English greet, Old English grēat; cognate with Dutch groot, German gross
As an adjective great describes things that are very good, large, or important — like a great movie, a great forest, or a great battle that changed the course of a war. Great can also be a noun: a person who is a legend in his or her field, like Aretha Franklin, a soul great, or Wayne Gretzky — a hockey great who became known as "the Great One." Only a few people qualify for the distinction of being a great — it takes a remarkable talent that continues to awe people long after the person's heyday.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“A story requires a lot of improbable decisions. Maybe they’re not great decisions, but the person doesn’t know that at the time.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
"We want a region which is peaceful, stable and prosperous. We want a region where countries, all powers, including great powers, observe international law and, in particular, the law of the sea," she said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
He added: "My only commitment, my only focus, is serving my constituents in Glasgow and serving the great people of this country, if I get the honour of being first minister."
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Soft rock made a huge impact on Mr. Vernon’s music, which would seemingly make him a great fit for Ms. Abrams’s work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Dr. Harlow concludes that Phineas had "a great fondness for children, horses, and dogs—only exceeded by his attachment for his tamping iron, which was his constant companion during the remainder of his life."
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Sosa noticed something behind the director; it was a photo of a 150-year-old family quilt, stitched by the director’s great-, great-, great-grandmother and passed through many generations.
From New York Times ● May 30, 2023
Think about that: The most plausible explanation for this series of events is that George Richardson’s father, my great- great-great grandfather, was born aboard a slave ship.
From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2022
Rogers’ great-, great-, great-grandfather was born enslaved and went on to become a successful lawyer who served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1889 to 1890.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 12, 2021
Among the panelists scheduled to speak are: Lynne Jackson, the great-, great-granddaughter of Dred Scott, the slave who sued for his freedom in 1857, and Charles Taney IV, the great-great-great-nephew of U.S.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 9, 2020
I think about my great- and great-great-grandparents and all those early Buttles.
From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor
After moving to Los Angeles, he became a favorite live and session player for many midcentury greats, including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Marvin Gaye.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Yet the lasting images from both tournaments are of all-time greats such as Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi dancing on the field.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Argentina players also sang chants which referenced the Falklands and Argentina greats Maradona and Lionel Messi following their dramatic 3-2 win over Egypt in the last 16.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
"The 1958 tournament was the last real goal-fest tournament. You had the emerging Brazil team with Pele, but also the French team were all-time greats," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Faded posters of basketball greats from the 1970s, guys like John “Hondo” Havlicek and Walt “Clyde” Frazier, adorned the walls.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
The booming rock ballad Don't Look Back in Anger also took on a greater significance after it was sung, impromptu, at a vigil for those who lost their lives in the 2017 Manchester Arena attack.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which announced in June that El Niño had arrived, predict this iteration will be “very strong,” bringing a greater promise of a wet winter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
A larger rise in entropy during the minutes and hours after a high dose was associated with greater emotional insight the following day.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
They point to increased premiumization, lower density craft, greater fleet flexibility, and improved network economics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
But with his help, I’ve come to see that the long-term consequence of the alternative would’ve been far greater.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
The American Film Institute put it in the top 20 of the all-time greatest film scores.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Finch was one of hard rock’s greatest connectors.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
“Wearing my country’s jersey is the greatest honor of my career,” he wrote on social media by way of an apology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
“America’s greatest export is the capital markets, right?” said Lindzon.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Perhaps the greatest paradox about understanding “the woods” is that so many who enjoy it, or seem to enjoy it, spend most of their time trying to kill parts of it.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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.
