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:
On receiving the award she said: "It is a great pleasure and a great honour. I am very proud – even if it is only a few weeks, or a few months, before I die."
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026
I suspect the rules would suddenly matter a great deal.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 10, 2026
"The French have a great deal of knowledge, above all documentation," said Kim Sothin, deputy director of the Apsara National Authority, the Cambodian government body that oversees the Angkor complex.
From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2026
“This great nation of ours is a caring, loving land,” Reagan once said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026
The Duke said to Sancho, "Sancho, my friend, I, in the name of the great Don Quixote, appoint you governor of one of my islands."
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Murrayfield witnessed one of the all-time greats on Saturday; classy, intelligent and ruthless.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
And he fought back tears again as two of the sport’s all-time greats, Hamilton and Max Verstappen, raised him onto their shoulders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Longtime co-star Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine, remembered Stewart as both "one of the greats of stage and screen" and "a tremendous friend and man."
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
We instantly knew he was one of the greats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Then, in the summer of 1954, Bobby had an opportunity to see in action some of the greats he’d been reading about.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
However, it is felt more likely United would want a candidate with greater experience than the 40-year-old Northern Irishman.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026
Stocks have generated higher returns, with greater risk.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 10, 2026
The chip makers’ shares were posting big gains Monday — but those companies could also be subject to greater scrutiny over their sales practices, analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
"There needs to be greater risk management of AI capabilities," he told reporters.
From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2026
“Pixies have always been abundant here. They like shiny things, pretty things, but their numbers seem to be even greater since you arrived. Like they smell what they really love. Gold.”
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
He once said that Cage’s greatest gift to him was permission.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026
Last season was Salah's least prolific at Anfield, but given Liverpool's struggles in front of goal in the Premier League, it is hard to argue they have replaced one of their greatest ever players.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2026
These faint objects may also help astronomers investigate one of the universe's greatest mysteries: dark matter.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2026
Nunez has said that since the beginning of the high-school protest movement police had acted with "the greatest proportionality".
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
It was the greatest honor of his life that he was permitted to attend, though he did not know enough to know it.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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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