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:
"The manager was a great player, one of the best of his generation," added midfielder Romeo Lavia.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
A pizza counter and a live music stage surrounded by picnic tables makes it a great place to bring kids.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
“When Jason came to Amsterdam, by that point I was fully a zealot. It was like a new recipe. ‘This thing is great!’
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
Despite his great wealth, Perot had a homespun approach and used the media very effectively.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
“Please,” insists Caesar gently, “you’d be doing me a great favor as a fellow soldier.”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
BBC Sport takes a look at the statistics that put the former England white-ball captain among the greats of the T20 game, and the reasons behind his remarkable longevity.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
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
"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
A European, World, Commonwealth and Olympic champion on the pommel horse, he is undeniably one of the sport's greats, but we've been warned to expect 'Rhys 2.0' in Glasgow.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Faded posters of basketball greats from the 1970s, guys like John “Hondo” Havlicek and Walt “Clyde” Frazier, adorned the walls.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
"Data shows, if they are diagnosed at an earlier stage, medication outcomes are greater."
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Inventory drawdowns and greater optimization by companies like Chevron have boosted output—but not by a lot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
It may also have had a stronger sense of smell and a greater capacity to detect touch through its large upper beak.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
She said she hopes to overhaul the city’s approach to the crisis in the coming months by securing greater control over services such as medical care, addiction treatment and case management.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
I can only hope this is one of those instances that he would call “getting messy for the greater good.”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Cal Raleigh has struggled mightily in the encore to his 2025, when he put up one of MLB’s greatest ever offensive seasons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Its greatest value lies in what the metacrystal can do.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
The Seattle Mariners catcher had one of the greatest slugging performances in baseball history in 2025, becoming just the seventh player to bash 60 home runs in a single season.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
It went on to win three Grammy Awards and remains, for many people, the Queen of Pop's greatest record.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Edmond Dantès’s daring break from an island prison is considered one of the greatest escapes in all of literature to this very day.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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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