great
Usage
What are other ways to say great?
In reference to the size and extent of concrete objects, great is highly formal and even poetic, suggesting also that the object is notable or imposing, large is only somewhat formal, and big is the most general and most colloquial word: a great oak; a large tree; a big tree; great plains; a large field; a big field. When the reference is to degree or a quality, great is the usual word: great beauty; great mistake; great surprise; although big sometimes alternates with it in colloquial style: a big mistake; a big surprise; large is usually not used in reference to degree, but may be used in a quantitative reference: a large number (great number).
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
What I love best about great fiction is that it helps us see and feel through other people’s eyes and hearts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
“He had a great view of the game.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
"It's a great day for French football," his former France and Bordeaux team-mate Bixente Lizarazu told France Info later in the day.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
He’s both a coach and a teammate for them, and he feels great.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Clare yelped and lost his balance, tumbling to the floor with a great crash.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Through 1953 National League Rookie of the Year Jim Gilliam, who spent three seasons with the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, Baker met several Negro League greats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
It takes over an hour for the whole procession to pass any one spot on the mountain, and they’re all but guaranteed to watch greats such as four-time champion Tadej Pogacar in full flow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
"That's why you have some of the greats in women's sports. If Title IX and women's sports weren't protected, then you wouldn't hear about any type of women in sport."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
After moving to Los Angeles, he became a favorite live and session player for many midcentury greats, including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Marvin Gaye.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Remember the greats, my dad likes to gloat: I balled with Magic and the Goat.
From "The Crossover" by Kwame Alexander
The only other time in recent years in which inflows to bond funds were any greater than they have been recently, as a percentage of total net assets, was in 2021.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
This has the potential to begin a new era of personal empowerment, in which individuals have greater freedom to pursue their interests and reach their full potential.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
"I've often said it: there's nothing greater than the French national team. So it's a joy and obviously a great source of pride to become the manager of this French national team," he added.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The improvements were substantially greater when both proteins were present at normal levels.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
Especially when your dad is George Rowley, owner of Chokecherry Real Estate, the largest—and the only—real estate agency in Chokecherry and greater Shadbush County.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, a thrillingly personal artist already ranked as one of the greatest of all mezzo sopranos, died from cancer 20 years ago this month at age 52.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Algorithmic mediation of the past means that the greatest weight will be given to what privileged institutions have already been able to preserve in the greatest numbers.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
This season marks 40 years since Crespi’s greatest team, led by running back Russell White, won the Division 1 championship over St. John Bosco in 1986.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Ramsay-Peaty is the greatest breaststroker of all time, having gone eight years unbeaten in the 100m and holding the world record in that event and the 50m.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The revolutionary overhaul endowed the Mary Rose with the greatest naval military innovation of its time: hinged gunports.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Vocabulary lists containing great
Spelling Practice, Unit 8
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Spelling Practice, Unit 8
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 5
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