stature
Americannoun
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statures
plural
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the height of a human or animal body.
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the height of any object.
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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:
Lai is small in stature, but she swings for the fences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
While going down a TikTok rabbit hole on car tech, she was alarmed by one clip in which a woman of similarly short stature said her car decelerated after she briefly slouched.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
A quicker way to gain stature in the wireless market would be to merge with one of the big three providers.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026
None of this is to say that there isn’t merit in a filmmaker, particularly one of Nolan’s stature, wanting to explore their artistic desires.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Ernest recognized that the rapidly rising stature of the Rad Lab in worldwide physics was based partially on its generosity to other universities seeking advice, manpower, and radioactive products.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
All three look like they could be playing basketball or football with their physical statures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2026
It found that shorter and taller statures require joint adjustments to achieve their preferred riding posture.
From Science Daily ● May 6, 2024
RAYYAN, Qatar — Their land masses are separated by high seas and their statures in soccer — er, football — divided by similar great distance.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 24, 2022
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
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.
