great

adjective

\ 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 : full of emotion great with anger

5a : 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

10a : 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 timeit was just great

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

Other Words from great 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

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

Gauges of investor sentiment showed supreme confidence that everything was going great; one, the long-running Investors Intelligence survey of the attitude of investment newsletter writers, hit its highest since 1986. — James Mackintosh, WSJ, "Markets Corrected Investor Mistakes This Year, And it Hurts," 20 Dec. 2018 The Stanley 99 is a classic example of the less-is-more industrial design that makes utility knives great. — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "Stanley Made a Lightweight Plastic Utility Knife. So Is It Any Good?," 14 Nov. 2018 There are surely some womenswear brands that have this kind of inspiration and do great, however their journey isn’t that easy as streetwear is mostly rooted in menswear and unisex. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "Think Streetwear Is a New Phenomenon? Meet Luca Benini Who Started the Hype 30 Years Ago," 11 Jan. 2019 Oh, and the cocktail and wine lists are pretty great too. — Andrea Bennett, Condé Nast Traveler, "17 Best Bars in Las Vegas," 4 Mar. 2018 But public relations-wise, things haven’t been going great for the royal household of late. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "How Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Are Spending Christmas This Year," 3 Dec. 2018 There are systemic causes of the violence that causes the disproportionate rate of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, of which a great many cases go unsolved. — Maka Monture, Teen Vogue, "10 Native Activism Organizations to Show Your Support This Thanksgiving," 22 Nov. 2018 Try this beet in your flower border — the wine-red leaves are highly ornamental and look great all summer. — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, "How to Grow Beets This Fall for a Hearty Autumn Harvest," 21 Aug. 2018 Getty ImagesMax Mumby/Indigo For the most part, Meghan Markle's life has been going great. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Meghan Markle Is Reportedly Planning a Secret Trip to Visit Her Estranged Father, Thomas Markle," 5 Aug. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The Boston Red Sox joined the pantheon of those all-time greats Sunday night. — Jared Diamond, WSJ, "Boston Red Sox Win the World Series," 29 Oct. 2018 West also recalled how Kobe Bryant was drafted 13th overall by Charlotte in 1996 and became one of the NBA's all-time greats after he was traded by the Hornets to the Lakers on draft night. — Broderick Turner, latimes.com, "Clippers land the 12th and 13th picks in the 2018 NBA draft lottery; Suns will pick No. 1," 16 May 2018 From that continent only Brazilian greats Ronaldo (15) and Pele (12) have more World Cup goals. — Greg Cote, miamiherald, "Catching up with the World Cup legends who shared a career's winter in Fort Lauderdale," 20 June 2018 The performances will feature members of both the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Philadelphia Opera Orchestra, and musical selections that span a range of genres, from jazz greats by Dolores Gray to classical pieces by Joseph Haydn. — Philly.com, "Kendrick Lamar, Odunde Festival, and other great happenings, June 8-15," 7 June 2018 For Spring 2019, that meant the return of one of modeling’s greats, Shalom Harlow: the elegant Canadian who ruled the runway in the late ’90s and early aughts returned to the runway after a six-year hiatus. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Shalom! Versace Brings Back a ’90s Supermodel," 21 Sep. 2018 The effort, which also delivered sister, Venus, to the list of tennis greats, proved that hard work and determination can open doors to the American dream of fame and fortune. — Sandra Harwitt, USA TODAY, "Serena Williams on why she might not be cut out for coaching daughter Olympia," 9 July 2018 The movie's roster of real-life basketball greats, including Irving, Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Webber, Lisa Leslie and Reggie Miller. — Pamela Mcclintock, Billboard, "Weekend Box Office: 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' Dunks 'Uncle Drew,' 'Sicario: Day of the Soldado' With $60M," 1 July 2018 The greats like when the course is challenging and the other players complain about it. — Michael Rosenberg, SI.com, "An Underrated Strategist, Dustin Johnson in Full Control of U.S. Open After 67 at Shinnecock," 15 June 2018

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.