giant

play

noun gi·ant \ ˈjī-ənt \

Definition of giant

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

—

giantlike

play \ˈjī-ənt-ˌlīk\ adjective

See giant defined for English-language learners

See giant defined for kids

Examples of giant in a Sentence

the land of the giants
the Great Pyramids of Egypt are giants among the world's architectural wonders

Recent Examples of giant from the Web

Many of those stores, located in malls in the U.S. and Canada, have been underperforming and would likely continue to do so, the coffee giant said of its decision to close most of the Teavana stores by next spring.

— janet i. tu, The Seattle Times, "Mall owner Simon sues Starbucks over Teavana chain’s shutdown," 30 Aug. 2017
Fans of Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Lattes are theorizing about a vague message tweeted Monday from the coffee giant.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "Starbucks' cryptic tweet could mean pumpkin spice lattes are landing very soon," 30 Aug. 2017
Below is a list of Alabama municipalities that settled with the oil giant, according to AL.com reporting from 2015.

— christopher harress, AL.com, "How was the Deepwater Horizon BP Settlement money spent?," 30 Aug. 2017
The fast-food giant has bitten hard into the cryptocurrency market with the launch of its own virtual coin.

— nancy dahlberg, miamiherald, "Have it your way with WhopperCoin," 29 Aug. 2017
The giant and the tiny were entombed together in the riverbed, forming what is now a spectacular series of mass graves in northwestern Madagascar.

— carolyn gramling, Science | AAAS, "Did tiny algae fell mighty dinosaurs?," 29 Aug. 2017
The activist investor and the consumer products giant are locked in a proxy fight heading toward the company's annual meeting on Oct. 10.

— alexander coolidge, Cincinnati.com, "Former P&G exec: Why I sided with hedge fund," 28 Aug. 2017
In December 2016, Statoil Wind US, part of the Norwegian oil and gas giant, bid $42.5 million to lease, for offshore wind development, a tract of ocean that begins about 15 nautical miles southeast of New York City.

— justin nobel, Longreads, "Why Oil-Loving Louisiana Should Embrace America’s Coming Offshore Wind Boom," 23 Aug. 2017
Republicans have become increasingly critical of their cultural impact, including the ways in which tech giants like Google and Facebook police speech within their organizations or on their platforms.

— vanityfair.com, "“We Do Not Have Long”: Elon Musk Calls for a Global Ban on Killer Robots," 21 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'giant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of giant

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

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giant Synonyms

Synonyms

behemoth, blockbuster, colossus, dinosaur, dreadnought, elephant, Goliath, jumbo, leviathan, mammoth, mastodon, monster, titan, whale, whopper

Antonyms

diminutive, dwarf, half-pint, midget, mite, peewee, pygmy (also pigmy), runt, shrimp

Related Words

amazon, giantess; bulk, hulk; heavyweight; juggernaut, steamroller

Near Antonyms

lightweight, weakling, wimp, wisp; nonentity, twerp, whippersnapper

giant

adjective

Definition of giant

:having extremely large size, proportion, or power

See giant defined for English-language learners

Examples of giant in a Sentence

a giant-size box of detergent
the giant sycamore tree that dwarfs our house is almost 250 years old

Recent Examples of giant from the Web

United, however, Iranians ultimately triumph by using their willpower to create a giant wave that sinks the entire American Fifth Fleet.

— thomas erdbrink, New York Times, "As ‘Death to America’ Chants Lose Power, Iran Retools Propaganda With Rap Videos," 26 Aug. 2017
The festival will offer a number of activities for children and young people including an art scavenger hunt, spin art and a giant graffiti wall.

— karen berkowitz, chicagotribune.com, "Port Clinton Art Festival replete with couples melding art, life," 22 Aug. 2017
The sediments build up over time, forming giant lobes that can break apart and slide down the shelf.

— zahra ahmad, Science | AAAS, "The Germans torpedoed a ship during World War II. The wreck is now revealing secrets about submarine mudslides," 21 Aug. 2017
When the project is finished, there will be two new giant video boards, elevated in the northeast and northwest corners and flanking the new seating structure, giving the stadium three video boards in all.

— steve jones, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville football | 'Stunning' Papa John's Cardinal Stadium expansion still on pace, Tom Jurich says," 17 Aug. 2017
Combined, the three countries receive about one-third of the 39.9 million barrels of oil that flows around the world daily in giant tankers, according to Clarkson Plc.

— Bloomberg.com, "War Threat in Korea Exposes Artery of Global Commodities Trade," 11 Aug. 2017
By the dildos, there was a young, blond, earthy-looking European couple very seriously contemplating the purchase of a giant rubber strap-on.

— candice jalili, Glamour, "Working in a Sex Shop Restored My Faith in Love," 9 Aug. 2017
The Times eventually became the world’s most respected media outlet, with a giant newsroom staff of 1,300.

— james warren, The Hive, "Is The New York Times vs. The Washington Post vs. Trump the Last Great Newspaper War?," 2 Aug. 2017
While not new to the plant world, giant hogweed is relatively new to Illinois, having been discovered here about 10 years ago.

— donna vickroy, Daily Southtown, "Column: Don't let wild parsnip, giant hogweed, poison ivy wreck your summer," 28 July 2017

First Known Use of giant

15th century

giant Synonyms

GIANT Defined for English Language Learners

giant

play

noun

Definition of giant for English Language Learners

: a legendary creature usually thought of as being an extremely large and powerful person
: a person or thing that is very large, powerful, or successful

giant

adjective

Definition of giant for English Language Learners

: very large : much larger or more powerful than normal

GIANT Defined for Kids

giant

play

noun gi·ant \ ˈjī-ənt \

Definition of giant for Students

1 :an imaginary person of great size and strength

2 :a person or thing that is very large, successful, or powerful

He grew up to be a giant of a man.

giant

adjective

Definition of giant for Students

:much larger than ordinary :huge

Learn More about giant

See words that rhyme with giant Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for giant Spanish Central: Translation of giant Nglish: Translation of giant for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of giant for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about giant

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