great

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adjective \ ˈgrāt , Southern also ˈgre(ə)t \

Definition of great

1 a :notably large in size :huge

all creatures great and small

b :of a kind characterized by relative largeness —used in plant and animal names

the great horned owl

c :elaborate, ample

great detail

2 a :large in number or measure :numerous

great multitudes

b :predominant

the great majority

3 :remarkable in magnitude, degree, or effectiveness

great bloodshed

4 :full of emotion

great with anger

5 a :eminent, distinguished

a great poet

b :chief or preeminent over others —often used in titles

Lord Great Chamberlain

c :aristocratic, grand

great ladies

6 :long continued

a great while

7 :principal, main

a reception in the great hall

8 :more remote in a family relationship by a single generation than a specified relative

great-grandfather

9 :markedly superior in character or quality; especially :noble

great of soul

10 a :remarkably skilled

great at tennis

b :marked by enthusiasm :keen

great on science fiction

11 —used as a generalized term of approval

had a great time

it was just great

—

greatness

noun

See great defined for English-language learners

See great defined for kids

Examples of great in a Sentence

all creatures great and small
The project will require a great amount of time and money.
The building was restored at great expense.
a great quantity of fish
The low cost of these products gives them great appeal.
There is a very great need for reform.
They're in no great hurry to finish.
There is a great demand for his services.
an actress of great charm
Is there any love greater than that between parent and child?

Recent Examples of great from the Web

But perhaps his greatest assignment will be to repair the broken corporate culture that seems to be at the core of all Uber’s troubles.

— deb gabor, Fortune, "Why Uber Was Right Not to Hire a Female CEO," 30 Aug. 2017
Prior to Houston’s floods, the Sacramento region was often described as the U.S. metropolitan area at second-greatest risk of a devastating flood, after New Orleans.

— ryan sabalow, sacbee, "Think Harvey-like flooding couldn’t happen to Sacramento? Think again.," 30 Aug. 2017
While most residents were satisfied with their interactions with police, white respondents reported greater satisfaction than their non-white counterparts.

— jsonline.com, "Trust damaged between Milwaukee police and community, Department of Justice draft report says," 30 Aug. 2017
Photograph courtesy of Barcade Once named one of America’s best bars by Esquire, Barcade boasts seven locations around greater New York, but this will be their first venture outside the I-95 corridor.

— brittany martin, Los Angeles Magazine, "Barcade Is Opening in L.A., and Our Joystick Thumbs Are Trembling," 30 Aug. 2017
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.

— scott spillman, New Republic, "War, Civil War, or Revolution?," 30 Aug. 2017
Indonesia joins Bolivia, Argentina and other countries that have sought a greater say in the resources under their soil.

— jon emont, New York Times, "Freeport to Give Indonesia a Majority Stake in Its Grasberg Mine," 29 Aug. 2017
Those students who ended up at better schools made greater academic gains than those who did not, and again, the effect was most pronounced for black and Hispanic students in poverty.

— monique judge, The Root, "Closing Low-Performing Schools More Likely to Negatively Affect Black and Hispanic Students: Report," 29 Aug. 2017
Now, as one can see, there’s greater flexibility among journalists.

— The Hive, "How Silicon Valley Has Changed Hurricane Coverage," 28 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of great

Middle English grete, from Old English grēat; akin to Old High German grōz large

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

great Synonyms

great

adverb

Definition of great

:in a great manner :well

Things are going great.

See great defined for English-language learners

Examples of great in a Sentence

We had some problems at first, but now things are going just great.
Keep up the good work. You're doing great!

Recent Examples of great from the Web

Supercars didn’t do great at Pebble Beach this year, either.

— hannah elliott, Bloomberg.com, "Collectors Spent $327 Million on Vintage Cars This Weekend," 21 Aug. 2017
Supercars didn’t do great at Pebble Beach this year, either.

— Fortune, "People Spent a Lot of Money on Vintage Cars Last Week," 21 Aug. 2017
Maria got us up 10-5, and Andreja was playing great in the women’s doubles.

— matt szabo, Daily Pilot, "Sharapova sharp for OC Breakers," 24 July 2017
And those choices, the ones made without compromise, are exactly what make the new 2017 Grand Cherokee great.

— clifford attiyeh, Car and Driver, "2019 BMW X5 M Spied," 20 July 2017
A few minutes into his appearance at SlossTech at the Lyric Theatre today, the former NFL great asked the standard state survey question - how many here are fans of Alabama or Auburn?

— drew champlin, AL.com, "Costa Rica vs. French Guiana live stream: Watch Gold Cup 2017 online," 14 July 2017
The most viral evidence suggests things aren’t going great.

— kenzie bryant, Vanities, "Melania Trump and the Hand-Graze Seen Round the World," 22 May 2017
And if passenger jets never touch down on the big circle, Hesselink says, a mini-version of the runway could work great for drone deliveries—securing it a place in the future of flight.

— henri gendreau, WIRED, "The Loony ‘Circular Runway’ Will Never Happen, But Maybe It Should," 5 May 2017
Almost every day between the summer of 1959 and the end of 1961, the jazz great practiced atop the Williamsburg Bridge.

— carrie battan, The New Yorker, "Weekly Culture Review: “Big Little Lies,” Pepsi, and More," 7 Apr. 2017

Origin and Etymology of great

see ¹great

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

great Synonyms

Synonyms

agreeably, charmingly, delectably, deliciously, delightfully, dreamily, enchantingly, enjoyably, favorably, felicitously, fetchingly, gloriously, gratifyingly, well, nicely, palatably, pleasantly, pleasingly, pleasurably, prettily, satisfyingly, splendidly, sweetly, swimmingly, welcomely, winningly

Antonyms

badly, disagreeably, ill, unpleasantly

Near Antonyms

abominably, appallingly, awfully, dreadfully, horrendously, horribly, horridly, shockingly, sickeningly, terribly, vilely; annoyingly, disgustingly, distressingly, irritatingly, vexingly

great

noun

Definition of great

plural great or greats

:an outstandingly superior or skillful person

a tribute to the greats of baseball

See great defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of great from the Web

But not nearly well enough to beat Floyd Mayweather, one of the all-time greats of the game.

— john eligon and victor mather, New York Times, "Mayweather vs. McGregor: Highlights From Every Round," 27 Aug. 2017
A 23-year-old switch-hitter, Lindor is on pace to become one of the greats of this generation, a defensive wonder with emerging power.

— rustin dodd, kansascity, "Royals blanked 4-0 by Indians, fall seven games behind in division race," 25 Aug. 2017
There are pictures of Bryant-Denny above her sons' beds, while jerseys of Crimson Tide greats adorn the walls.

— elizabeth lowder, AL.com, "Becoming an Alabama fan: Melissa Joan Hart explains it all," 22 Aug. 2017
The show, which will premiere next year, is just the latest instance of TV and comedy greats making their comebacks on cable and streaming networks.

— megan friedman, Esquire, "David Letterman Is Returning to Television," 8 Aug. 2017
Fletcher Page / The C-J LEXINGTON, Ky. --- John Wall may have just spent one season at Kentucky, but he officially is being recognized as one of the greats in program history.

— jon hale, The Courier-Journal, "John Wall, Randall Cobb, Ralph Hacker headline 2017 UK Hall of Fame class," 17 July 2017
Jazz Venue for Up-and-Coming Talent Opened on the third level of a Little Tokyo strip mall in 2009, Bluewhale is the place to see the next generation of jazz greats sharing the stage with heavy hitters.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "Best of LA: 92 of Our Favorite Things to Eat, Do, and Buy Right Now," 14 July 2017
There's a power to the show that's hard to encapsulate in words, and this evocative final run cemented The Leftovers as one of the Peak TV greats.

— emma dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "The 14 Best TV Shows Of 2017 (So Far)," 27 June 2017
There are the greats of the military: Bull Halsey and the Admirals Leahy, father and son; Black Jack Pershing; and the GI’s general, Omar Bradley.

— pioneer press editorial board, Twin Cities, "Ronald Reagan’s Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery, 1986," 28 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of great

see ¹great

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

GREAT Defined for English Language Learners

great

adverb

Definition of great for English Language Learners

: very well

great

noun

Definition of great for English Language Learners

: a very successful or admired person

GREAT Defined for Kids

great

play

adjective \ ˈgrāt \

Definition of great for Students

greater; greatest

1 :very large in size :huge

a great mountain

2 :large in amount

a great crowd

3 :¹long 2

a great while

4 :much beyond the ordinary

a great success

5 :important 1, distinguished

a great artist

6 :very talented or successful

She's great at diving.

7 :very good

We had a great time.

—

greatly

adverb

He's greatly admired.

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See words that rhyme with great Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for great Spanish Central: Translation of great Nglish: Translation of great for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of great for Arabic speakers

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great

Definition of great for English Language Learners

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