giant

1 of 2

noun

gi·​ant ˈjī-ənt How to pronounce giant (audio)
plural giants
1
: a legendary humanlike being of great stature and strength
2
a
: a living being of great size
b
: a person of extraordinary powers
3
: something unusually large or powerful
4
astronomy : a star of high luminosity and relatively great mass and size
a red giant
As it exhausts its hydrogen fuel, changes in its interior trigger a transformation from a blue giant to a yellow supergiant in only a few hundred thousand years.James B. Kaler
compare dwarf sense 4a, supergiant
giantlike adjective

giant

2 of 2

adjective

: having extremely large size, proportion, or power

Examples of giant in a Sentence

Noun the land of the giants the Great Pyramids of Egypt are giants among the world's architectural wonders Adjective a giant-size box of detergent the giant sycamore tree that dwarfs our house is almost 250 years old
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The ride-hailing giant that promised to reduce traffic actually increased congestion by 50% in San Francisco from 2010 and 2016. Tima Bansal, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025 The retail giant based in Bentonville, Arkansas, has received three reports of consumers who were injured when struck in the face by a lid forcefully ejected from these bottles upon opening, per the CPSC. Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 11 July 2025
Adjective
The only thing worse than seeing a giant stain on your favorite white piece of clothing is having your whole white wardrobe start to grey and yellow. Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 12 July 2025 The idea has morphed from a single, giant facility to 13 smaller ones around the state, but now, Utah’s embrace of international trade could backfire on the state’s economy. Scott Cohn, CNBC, 12 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for giant

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English giaunt, from Anglo-French geant, from Latin gigant-, gigas, from Greek

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of giant was in the 13th century

Cite this Entry

“Giant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/giant. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

giant

1 of 2 noun
gi·​ant ˈjī-ənt How to pronounce giant (audio)
1
: a very large and strong being of legend
2
: a person or thing that is very large or powerful

giant

2 of 2 adjective
: much larger or more powerful than ordinary

More from Merriam-Webster on giant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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