great

adjective

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\ ˈgrāt

, Southern also ˈgre(ə)t \

Definition of great

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : 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

2a : large in number or measure : numerous great multitudes

b : predominant the great majority

3 : remarkable in magnitude, degree, or effectiveness great bloodshed

4 —used as a generalized term of approval had a great timeIt was just great.

5a : eminent, distinguished a great poet

b : aristocratic, grand great ladies

c : chief or preeminent over others —often used in titles Lord Great Chamberlain

6 : markedly superior in character or quality especially : noble great of soul

7a : remarkably skilled great at tennis

b : marked by enthusiasm : keen great on science fiction

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

9 : long continued a great while

10 : principal, main a reception in the great hall

11 : full of emotion great with anger

great

adverb

Definition of great (Entry 2 of 3)

: in a great manner : well Things are going great.

great

noun

plural great or greats

Definition of great (Entry 3 of 3)

: an outstandingly superior or skillful person a tribute to the greats of baseball

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about great

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Examples of great in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Will the architecture — in style and use of materials — be great, or ho-hum? — Steven Litt, cleveland, "Cryptic site plan for Sherwin-Williams headquarters reveals important questions that call for public input," 1 Mar. 2021 All those things are great—buy ’em, use ’em, reuse ’em, etc. — Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, "These Popcorn Bags Are the Best $4 I’ve Spent All Year," 1 Mar. 2021 Brazil is great right now for expats and foreigners looking for tropical vacation homes. — Kenneth Rapoza, Forbes, "Priced Out: Liquidity Is Also Causing Global Real Estate Prices To Rip," 28 Feb. 2021 The writers have touched on an odd element of the bachelor party, and the first reveal is great. — Matthew Love, Vulture, "Saturday Night Live Recap: Nick Jonas Dreams of Post-COVID Life," 28 Feb. 2021 Defensively, our pressure was great and the intensity was high. — Evan Dudley, al, "Class 5A girls: Mae Jemison cruises to 76-37 win over Charles Henderson," 27 Feb. 2021 There’s just one problem: A lot of them aren’t great. — Eric Ravenscraft, Wired, "Alexa Skills That Are Actually Fun and Useful," 27 Feb. 2021 Deshaun Watson, one of the five best quarterbacks in the game, is trying to force a trade from the Houston Texans, who know that trading a great young player on a team-friendly contract would be sports-management malpractice. — Star Tribune, "Kirk Cousins is the Vikings' quarterback, for better or for worse," 27 Feb. 2021 No one really plans for a great player to retire in his prime. — Jim Ayello, The Indianapolis Star, "Ex-GM Mike Tannenbaum explains why he ripped into Colts for Carson Wentz trade," 27 Feb. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb Chinese restaurants are an essential aspect of what makes the local food scene so great. — Anna Buchmann, San Francisco Chronicle, "Bay Briefing: The long road to normalcy after the pandemic," 8 Feb. 2021 That includes Brady chasing a seventh ring in his 10th Super Bowl and Patrick Mahomes firmly establishing himself as the next quarterback great with a second straight championship. — Tim Dahlberg, Star Tribune, "Column: One number looms large in Super Bowl of numbers," 1 Feb. 2021 Danielle Kang played great, tying her career low with an 8-under 63 and protecting her lead Saturday in the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. — Jeff Babineau, ajc, "Jessica Korda with 60 moves within 2 shots of Danielle Kang," 23 Jan. 2021 Danielle Kang played great, tying her career low with an 8-under 63 and protecting her lead Saturday in the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. — Jeff Babineau, Star Tribune, "Jessica Korda with 60 moves within 2 shots of Danielle Kang," 23 Jan. 2021 For much of his first varsity season, Samuel played great. — Chris Dabe, NOLA.com, "Dabe: State runner-up Karr has been here before; loss will not slow Cougar football machine," 30 Dec. 2020 Cincinnati’s defense played great against Pittsburgh on Monday, but the Texans’ offense has too much firepower. — Los Angeles Times, "NFL Week 16 picks: Rams defeat Seahawks; Packers edge Titans," 25 Dec. 2020 Some of today's best looks are a mix of not-too-extreme styling, great-looking color mixing and just a touch of flair. — Arkansas Online, "OPINION | MALE CALL: Skinny styles moving back to more tailored business look," 18 Jan. 2021 Also, scalp exfoliators containing physical exfoliants like sea salt work great to remove the debris and buildup that often accumulate on an oily scalp, says Henry. — Julie Ricevuto, Allure, "The Science of Beauty: The Complete Guide to Scalp Care," 17 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The right-handers would often talk, the 24-year-old Flaherty soaking up advice from the great who wore No. 45. — NBC News, "Bob Gibson, fierce Hall of Fame ace for Cardinals, dies at 84," 3 Oct. 2020 The teams held a moment of silence before the game for Diego Maradona, the Argentine great who died earlier this week. — Chronicle News Services, SFChronicle.com, "U.S. women beat Netherlands 2-0 in World Cup rematch," 27 Nov. 2020 The right-handers would often talk, the 24-year-old Flaherty soaking up advice from the great who wore No. 45. — NBC News, "Bob Gibson, fierce Hall of Fame ace for Cardinals, dies at 84," 3 Oct. 2020 The right-handers would often talk, the 24-year-old Flaherty soaking up advice from the great who wore No. 45. — NBC News, "Bob Gibson, fierce Hall of Fame ace for Cardinals, dies at 84," 3 Oct. 2020 The right-handers would often talk, the 24-year-old Flaherty soaking up advice from the great who wore No. 45. — NBC News, "Bob Gibson, fierce Hall of Fame ace for Cardinals, dies at 84," 3 Oct. 2020 The right-handers would often talk, the 24-year-old Flaherty soaking up advice from the great who wore No. 45. — NBC News, "Bob Gibson, fierce Hall of Fame ace for Cardinals, dies at 84," 3 Oct. 2020 The right-handers would often talk, the 24-year-old Flaherty soaking up advice from the great who wore No. 45. — NBC News, "Bob Gibson, fierce Hall of Fame ace for Cardinals, dies at 84," 3 Oct. 2020 The right-handers would often talk, the 24-year-old Flaherty soaking up advice from the great who wore No. 45. — NBC News, "Bob Gibson, fierce Hall of Fame ace for Cardinals, dies at 84," 3 Oct. 2020

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.