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:
"There's a danger you could grow apart, but there's also this great rediscovery that can happen, and a freshness it can bring, when you return."
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
“So coming back home has been a great transition, and I can’t wait to play this year.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
There are even fewer who remember the great stock-market bubble of the late 1990s, followed by the crash of 2000-03.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
“She was a really good writer, serious, character-focused, hardworking, attentive. Hard on herself. A great member of the class,” Canin said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Not so great at the verbal kind, though.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
With this latest triumph, Hudson-Smith joined British greats Mo Farah and Roger Black on five golds, while matching Dina Asher-Smith as the most decorated British athlete in the history of the championships.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The funeral service was held at Sant'Ambrogio Basilica and club greats including Paolo Maldini, Marco van Basten, Clarence Seedorf, Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Costacurta were in attendance.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 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
For those looking for a good time, the State Street “Stroll,” between Twenty-Sixth and Thirty-Ninth Streets, offered a lively place to listen to the jazz greats and exchange the latest gossip.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
However it could have a greater impact on the weather during autumn and early winter, with the increased potential for wet and stormy conditions across north-west Europe, including the UK.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
With many Americans already feeling pinched after postpandemic inflation drove up the prices of goods and services, that could be a recipe for even greater economic malaise.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
The Mercedes-Benz trucks segment faces increased competition in 2027, while structural factors weigh on profitability, including greater exposure to lower-margin Western European markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
With drought episodes only expected to increase, operators are banking on better-suited vessels and greater intermodality, or the added use of trains and trucks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
But the flames gave them comfort greater than heat.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Ms. Eubanks calls her failure to remain mentally healthy while giving J. the help he needed “the single greatest disappointment of my life.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
The team also discovered that the brain regions showing the greatest synaptic losses tended to contain high concentrations of receptors for important neurotransmitters, including serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
But the Dodgers are the greatest show in baseball, playing before stadiums packed with fans willing to shell out top dollar to see a roster that includes international superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
On Thursday, the focus of heavy, slow-moving and potentially thundery downpours will shift south, with the greatest chance of significant rainfall across parts of northern England, the Midlands, Lincolnshire, East Anglia and perhaps south-east England.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
The flight was the greatest adventure of his life, and Jeremy couldn't wait to repeat it.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
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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