Definition of 'great'

Word Frequency

great

(greɪt )

Word forms: comparative greater , superlative greatest , plural greats

1. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]

You use great to describe something that is very large. Great is more formal than big.

The room had a great bay window.

...a great hall as long and high as a church.

Synonyms: large, big, huge, vast More Synonyms of great

2. adjective

Great means large in amount or degree.

I'll take great care of it.

Benjamin Britten did not live to a great age.

Synonyms: extreme, considerable, excessive, high More Synonyms of great

3. adjective

You use great to describe something that is important, famous, or exciting.

...the great cultural achievements of the past.

Synonyms: major, lead, leading, chief More Synonyms of great

greatness uncountable noun

A nation must take certain risks to achieve greatness.

Synonyms: strength, force, intensity, high degree More Synonyms of great

Synonyms: grandeur, dignity, majesty, generosity More Synonyms of great

Synonyms: importance, moment, weight, import [formal] More Synonyms of great

Synonyms: immensity, size, mass, length More Synonyms of great

Synonyms: grandeur, glory, majesty, splendour More Synonyms of great

4. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]

You can describe someone who is successful and famous for their actions, knowledge, or skill as great.

Wes Hall was once one of the West Indies' great cricketers.

...the great George Padmore.

Synonyms: expert, skilled, talented, skilful More Synonyms of great

greatness uncountable noun

Abraham Lincoln achieved greatness.

Synonyms: strength, force, intensity, high degree More Synonyms of great

Synonyms: grandeur, dignity, majesty, generosity More Synonyms of great

Synonyms: importance, moment, weight, import [formal] More Synonyms of great

Synonyms: immensity, size, mass, length More Synonyms of great

Synonyms: grandeur, glory, majesty, splendour More Synonyms of great

Synonyms: fame, glory, celebrity, distinction More Synonyms of great

5. plural noun

The greats in a particular subject or field of activity are the people who have been most successful or famous in it.

[journalism]

...all the greats of Hollywood.

...cycling's all-time greats.

6. plural noun

The greats of popular modern music are records that have been successful and that continue to be popular.

[journalism]

...a medley of rock'n'roll greats.

7. adjective

If you describe someone or something as great, you approve of them or admire them.

[informal, approval]

Arturo has this great place in Cazadero.

They're a great bunch of guys.

I think she's great.

8. adjective

If you feel great, you feel very healthy, energetic, and enthusiastic.

I feel just great.

9. adjective

You use great in order to emphasize the size or degree of a characteristic or quality.

[emphasis]

...a great big Italian wedding.

...her sense of colour and great eye for detail.

10. exclamation

You say great in order to emphasize that you are pleased or enthusiastic about something.

[feelings]

Oh great! That'll be good for Fergus.

11. exclamation

You say great in order to emphasize that you are angry or annoyed about something.

[feelings]

'Oh great,' I thought. 'Just what I need.'

12. countable noun

Great is used as part of the name of a species of plant or animal when there is another species of the same plant or animal which is smaller and has different characteristics.

...the great white shark.

13. See also greater

More Synonyms of great

Word Frequency

great-

(greɪt- )

prefix

Great- is used before some nouns that refer to relatives. Nouns formed in this way refer to a relative who is a further generation away from you. For example, your great-aunt is the aunt of one of your parents.

...Davis's great-grandmother.

Video: pronunciation of
great

great in British English

(ɡreɪt )

adjective

relatively large in size or extent; big

relatively large in number; having many parts or members

a great assembly

of relatively long duration

a great wait

of larger size or more importance than others of its kind

the great auk

extreme or more than usual

great worry

of significant importance or consequence

a great decision

of exceptional talents or achievements; remarkable

a great writer

(as noun)

the great

one of the greats

arising from or possessing idealism in thought, action, etc; heroic

great deeds

illustrious or eminent

a great history

10.

impressive or striking

a great show of wealth

11.

much in use; favoured

poetry was a great convention of the Romantic era

12.

active or enthusiastic

a great walker

13.

doing or exemplifying (a characteristic or pursuit) on a large scale

what a great buffoon

he's not a great one for reading

14. (often foll by at)

skilful or adroit

a great carpenter

you are great at singing

15. informal

excellent; fantastic

16. British informal

(intensifier)

a dirty great big lie

17. (postpositive; foll by with) archaic

pregnant

great with child

full (of)

great with hope

18.

(intensifier, used in mild oaths)

Great Scott!

19. See be great on

adverb

20. informal

very well; excellently

it was working great

noun

21. Also called: great organ

the principal manual on an organ

Compare choir (sense 4), swell (sense 16)

Derived forms

greatly (ˈgreatly)

adverb

greatness (ˈgreatness)

noun

Word origin

Old English grēat; related to Old Frisian grāt, Old High German grōz; see grit, groat

Word Frequency

great- in British English

prefix

being the parent of a person's grandparent (in the combinations great-grandfather, great-grandmother, great-grandparent)

being the child of a person's grandchild (in the combinations great-grandson, great-granddaughter, great-grandchild)

Word Frequency

great in American English

(greɪt )

adjective

of much more than ordinary size, extent, volume, etc.

; esp.,

designating a thing or group of things larger than others of the same kind

the great cats are tigers, lions, etc.; the Great Lakes

large in number, quantity, etc.; numerous

a great company

long in duration

a great while

much higher in some quality or degree; much above the ordinary or average

; esp.,

existing in a high degree; intense

a great light, great pain

very much of a; acting much as (something specified)

a great reader

eminent; distinguished; illustrious; superior

a great playwright

very impressive or imposing; remarkable

great ceremony

having or showing nobility of mind, purpose, etc.; grand

a great man, great ideas

of most importance; main; chief

the great seal

4. Informal

clever; expert; skillful

usually with at

great at tennis

5. US, Informal

excellent; splendid; fine

6. Chiefly Dialectal

pregnant

: chiefly in great with child

adverb

7. Informal

very well

noun

a great or distinguished person

usually used in pl.

SIMILAR WORDS: large

Idioms:

great on

the great

Derived forms

greatly (ˈgreatly)

adverb

greatness (ˈgreatness)

noun

Word origin

ME grete < OE great, akin to Ger gross, Du groot < IE base *ghrēu-, rub hard over, crumble > grit, Welsh gro, sand: basic sense “coarse, coarsegrained”

Word Frequency

great- in American English

(greɪt )

older (or younger) by one generation

each additional great- shows one further generation removed

great-aunt, great-great-grandson

Word origin

< great, taken as intensifier

Examples of 'great' in a sentence
great

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…

And it does not get a great deal worse than this.Social media is great but people voice their opinions in the wrong way sometimes.It was my first time but she made me feel great.Jumping in the ocean is one of the great joys in my life.While they are big in area, many of the great modern reservoirs can be disappointing for birds.The controls clearly show which speed is suitable for which task, with a great number and variety of options.Let's go make something great!IT has been a sad year for music with many all-time greats passing away.He said: 'It was a great day.She said:'I will say it is great to have a woman in charge of the country.