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definitions

tall

[tawl]
See more synonyms for tall on Thesaurus.com
adjective, tall·er, tall·est.
  1. having a relatively great height; of more than average stature: a tall woman; tall grass.
  2. having stature or height as specified: a man six feet tall.
  3. large in amount or degree; considerable: a tall price; Swinging that deal is a tall order.
  4. extravagant; difficult to believe: a tall tale.
  5. high-flown; grandiloquent: He engages in so much tall talk, one never really knows what he's saying.
  6. having more than usual length; long and relatively narrow: He carried a tall walking stick.
  7. Archaic. valiant.
  8. Obsolete.
    1. seemly; proper.
    2. fine; handsome.
adverb
  1. in a proud, confident, or erect manner: to stand tall; to walk tall.

Origin of tall

before 1000; Middle English: big, bold, comely, proper, ready, Old English getæl (plural getale) quick, ready, competent; cognate with Old High German gizal quick
Related formstall·ness, noun

Synonyms for tall

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2. See high.

Antonyms for tall

1. short.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for tall

great, lanky, big, rangy, soaring, towering, hard, steep, giant, elevated, beanstalk, impossible, absurd, alpine, lofty, sizable, statuesque, lank, sky-high, altitudinous

Examples from the Web for tall

Contemporary Examples of tall

Historical Examples of tall

  • "That's it," he said, as he busied himself with a tall glass and the cracked ice.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • Philothea's tall figure was a lovely union of majesty and grace.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • “A tall and stalwart esquire, methinks,” said Master Headley.

    The Armourer's Prentices

    Charlotte M. Yonge

  • He's not so large or tall, but quick and springy, and muscled like a panther.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • It lies behind that tall monument; I cannot see it for the blossoming boughs.

    Malbone

    Thomas Wentworth Higginson

British Dictionary definitions for tall

tall

adjective
  1. of more than average height
    1. (postpositive)having a specified heighta woman five feet tall
    2. (in combination)a twenty-foot-tall partition
  3. informal exaggerated or incrediblea tall story
  4. informal difficult to accomplisha tall order
  5. an archaic word for excellent
Derived Formstallness, noun

Word Origin for tall

C14 (in the sense: big, comely, valiant); related to Old English getæl prompt, Old High German gizal quick, Gothic untals foolish
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
Word Origin and History for tall
adj.

"high in stature," 1520s, probably ultimately from Old English getæl "prompt, active." Sense evolved to "brave, valiant, seemly, proper" (late 14c.), then to "attractive, handsome" (mid-15c.), and finally "being of more than average height." The Old English word is related to Old High German gi-zal "quick," Gothic un-tals "indocile."

Sense evolution is remarkable, but adjectives applied to persons often mutate quickly in meaning (e.g. pretty, buxom, German klein "small, little," which in Middle High German meant the same as its English cognate clean). Meaning "exaggerated" (as in tall tale) is American English colloquial attested by 1846. Phrase tall, dark, and handsome is recorded from 1906.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with tall

tall

In addition to the idioms beginning with tall

  • tall order
  • tall tale

also see:

  • walk tall
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.