tall

[tawl]

adjective

taller, tallest 

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

   a tall woman;

   tall grass.

   Antonyms: short

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. (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.

8. Tall, (of beverages at Starbucks coffee shops) being of a small size equal to 12 ounces (354 milliliters).

9. Archaic.,  valiant.

10. Obsolete.

    1. seemly; proper.

    2. fine; handsome.

adverb

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

   to stand tall;

   to walk tall.

noun

1. Tall, (at Starbucks coffee shops) a small size of beverage equal to 12 ounces (354 milliliters).

tall

/ tɔːl /

adjective

1. of more than average height

2. 1. (postpositive) having a specified height

      a woman five feet tall

   2. ( in combination )

      a twenty-foot-tall partition

3. informal,  exaggerated or incredible

   a tall story

4. informal,  difficult to accomplish

   a tall order

5. an archaic word for excellent

Other Word Forms

• tallness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tall¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tall¹

C14 (in the sense: big, comely, valiant); related to Old English getæl prompt, Old High German gizal quick, Gothic untals foolish

Idioms and Phrases

• walk tall

Synonym Study

See high.

Example Sentences

He started running but when he turned to look behind him saw "a tall black male" holding "a bloodied knife".

Read more on BBC

“I have no idea,” LaRavia said when asked how he pulled off the dunk over a taller defender.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"Most of the injuries were caused by people falling from tall buildings," he wrote.

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Melodee is described as 4 feet 6 inches tall, weighing about 60 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

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But the boy was a little taller, and the girl’s hair was a little longer.

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Related Words

• big 
• great 
• lanky 
• rangy 
• soaring 
• towering