tall

[ tawl ]

/ tɔl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tall ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, tall·er, tall·est.

having a relatively great height; of more than average stature: a tall woman; tall grass.

having stature or height as specified: a man six feet tall.

large in amount or degree; considerable: a tall price; Swinging that deal is a tall order.

extravagant; difficult to believe: a tall tale.

high-flown; grandiloquent: 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.

Archaic. valiant.

Obsolete.

seemly; proper.
fine; handsome.

adverb

in a proud, confident, or erect manner: to stand tall; to walk tall.

Nearby words

talking picture, talking point, talking shop, talking-to, talky, tall, tall blacks, tall buttercup, tall drink, tall meadow rue, tall oil

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

SYNONYMS FOR tall

2 See high.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tall ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR tall

1 short.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR tall ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

tall·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tall

Also, she was tall and thin, too, further adding to the ways she met the physical beauty conventions.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America?|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But when she called back, Brinsley was determined to tall her about his minted screenwriter status.
Alleged Cop Killer’s Blood-Soaked Screenplay|M.L. Nestel|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It had a wide brim and a tall crown, which created an insulated pocket of air and could also be used to carry water.
My Love Letter to the Stetson|Mark McKinnon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A tugboat improbably sits high on the bank, obscured by tall grass, a broken oil rig hangs over the water nearby.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It was headquartered in Stanleyville, in a tall corner building that still stands in the decrepit, yet lively, downtown.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His brother Olaf was a tall, thin man; handsome in countenance; lively, modest, and popular.
Heimskringla|Snorri Sturlason
Don Gesualdo had gone across the rough grass of the garden, and had passed out of sight beyond the tall hedge of rose-laurel.
A Rainy June and Other Stories|Ouida
Beside it, a tall needle of rock, serrated and sharp, shot up.
My New Curate|P.A. Sheehan
His tall, straight form, erect and slim, swung toward them over the ice.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science February 1930|Various
He was short rather than tall, his hand was delicate, his foot slender and elegant.
The Companions of Jehu|Alexandre Dumas, pre

British Dictionary definitions for tall

tall

/ (tɔːl) /

adjective

of more than average height

(postpositive) having a specified heighta woman five feet tall
(in combination)a twenty-foot-tall partition

informal exaggerated or incrediblea tall story

informal difficult to accomplisha tall order

an archaic word for excellent

Derived Forms

tallness, 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

Idioms and Phrases with tall

tall

In addition to the idioms beginning with tall

tall order
tall tale

also see:

walk tall