tall
Americanadjective
-
having a relatively great height; of more than average stature: tall grass.
a tall woman;
tall grass.
- Antonyms:
- short
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having stature or height as specified.
a man six feet tall.
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large in amount or degree; considerable.
a tall price;
Swinging that deal is a tall order.
-
extravagant; difficult to believe.
a tall tale.
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He engages in so much tall talk, one never really knows what he's saying.
-
having more than usual length; long and relatively narrow.
He carried a tall walking stick.
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(of a drink) consisting of liquor mixed with other ingredients and served in a large glass, as a cocktail.
We watched as he put together a Mamie Taylor, a tall drink with Scotch, ginger beer, and lime.
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Tall, (of beverages at Starbucks coffee shops) being of a small size equal to 12 ounces (354 milliliters).
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Archaic. valiant.
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Obsolete.
-
seemly; proper.
-
fine; handsome.
-
adverb
noun
adjective
-
of more than average height
-
-
(postpositive) having a specified height
a woman five feet tall
-
( in combination )
a twenty-foot-tall partition
-
-
informal exaggerated or incredible
a tall story
-
informal difficult to accomplish
a tall order
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an archaic word for excellent
Related Words
See high.
Other Word Forms
- tallness noun
Etymology
Origin of tall
First recorded before 1000; Middle English: “big, bold, comely, proper, ready,” Old English getæl (plural getale ) “quick, ready, competent”; cognate with Old High German gizal “quick”
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.
"He had an attitude that sent us a message: if I'm standing here, you have to stand here, stand tall and keep going," she said.
From BBC
Atlas stands at just over six feet tall, and weighs 198 pounds.
From Barron's
Top tips are to minimise light in your vicinity and watch from a spot where your view is not obstructed by tall buildings or trees.
From BBC
“As the structure started to take shape, it became clear just how tall and ambitious it was,” said Katie McCormick, a spokesperson for floatbuilders Artistic Entertainment Services.
From Los Angeles Times
It’s a tall order, and when June has a fall that sends her back into the hospital — and soon after, hospice — Julia must wrangle her dysfunctional family and rally them all to face the inevitable.
From Salon
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.
