great

noun

plural great or greats

: an outstandingly superior or skillful person

a tribute to the greats of baseball

Examples of great in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

College of DuPage is inviting visitors to walk among the greats of American culture this summer in a free outdoor art exhibition that ties into the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. —Annie Alleman, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026

The album teams with moments like this, bits where the music might evoke a modern homespun permutation of greats like Daryl Hall and John Oates or even Prince, and the lyrics add new wrinkles to classic pop heartbreak. —Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 4 June 2026

However, the streak elevated his name among some club greats, sharing the record with Mark McGwire and passing other A’s legends like Jimmie Foxx and Rickey Henderson. —Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026

Jalen Brunson could earn a spot in the pantheon of Knicks greats. —Austin Elias-De Jesus, New Yorker, 3 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing great

• a good/great/lovely time
• a great deal
• a great deal of
• a great one for
• be a great one for
• be great at
• do a good/great job
• go great guns
• go to extreme/great lengths
• go to great pains
• great ape
• great auk
• great-aunt
• great big
• great blue heron
• great circle
• great deal
• great divide
• great egret
• great/good many
• great group
• great horned owl
• great house
• great laurel
• great-nephew
• great-niece
• great northern bean
• great personal sacrifice
• great power
• great room
• great seal
• great skua
• great toe
• great-uncle
• great vowel shift
• great white heron
• great white hope
• great white shark
• great white whale
• great with child
• great year
• in good/great/large part
• lay great stress/emphasis on
• leave a great deal to be desired
• no great shakes
• put great demands on
• set great store by/on
• set/lay great store by
• take (great) pains
• the great majority of
• the great outdoors
• the (great) unwashed
• time is a/the great healer
• to a great extent
• to good/great effect
• with great care

Rhymes for great

• ate
• bait
• bate
• cate
• crate
• date
• eight
• fait
• fate
• fete
• frate
• freight

Kids Definition

great

1 of 3 adjective

ˈgrāt 

in South also ˈgre(ə)t

1

: large in size : not small or little

2

: large in number : numerous

a great crowd

3

: long continued

a great while

4

: beyond the average or ordinary

a great weight

in great pain

5

: distinguished, prominent

a great artist

6

: more distant in relationship by one generation

7

: superior in quality or character

8

: remarkable in skill

great at tennis

9

—used as a term of general approval

had a great time

greatly adverb

greatness noun

great

2 of 3 adverb

: in a great manner : successfully, well

great

3 of 3 noun

plural great or greats

: an outstandingly superior or skillful person

the greats of baseball