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:
“It’s a great breeding ground for this new filmmaking,” Dave Clark, cofounder of AI film production studio Promise, said about Culver City.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
"We stand with them in their sorrow and will remember Hyron with great affection and respect."
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
“Faced with the great developments of world history,” Weirich wrote in 1925, “the individual is powerless.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Using calipers, instruments designed to measure objects with great precision, the researchers compared the sizes of preserved crayfish.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
‘I knew as soon as Hord told me about him. Only a Soul Eater could have trapped so great a demon.’
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Irrespective of that space for silverware on his CV, how highly does Kane rank in the pantheon of greats who have represented the England men's team?
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
To mark its 50th anniversary, some of the costumes worn by those acting greats are on display.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
“The greats aren’t perfect. But they do learn from their mistakes.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
A poetic circle: Wynton followed the greats, and posthumously, they followed him back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The Louvre was also a sort of art studio, where amateurs came to copy the paintings of the greats.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
This causes a greater contrast with the warmer tropics which can fire up a more potent jet stream - the fast moving, narrow band of fast winds high in the atmosphere.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
He cautioned in his prepared speech remarks that “great universities do not become greater by trying to do everything.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Other people put themselves at greater risk than I, in the sense that they came forward and appeared on camera.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
European officials have been multiplying calls for greater integration in the banking sector, arguing that the persistent fragmentation of the European Union is hampering the continent’s competitiveness.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Here, with tougher terrain and with a much larger territory, Tao Tao faced greater challenges when it came to finding bamboo, water, and shelter.
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
"We're among the schools with the greatest needs so the students really need the most seasoned teachers."
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
“He’s proven that to us. He had the greatest game I’ve ever seen played by an individual player last year against us.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Peters appears to be the person who has had the greatest access to Trump administration officials in recent months.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
If anyone doubted the physical commitment of rugby league's greatest stars, they only needed to watch an exhausted Reece Walsh doubled up and vomiting during Thursday's epic World Cup opener between Australia and New Zealand.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
This was the woman whom the greatest heroes in the world had failed to defeat.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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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