Definition of Great

  • (superl.) Large in space; of much size; big; immense; enormous; expanded; -- opposed to small and little; as, a great house, ship, farm, plain, distance, length.
  • (superl.) Large in number; numerous; as, a great company, multitude, series, etc.
  • (superl.) Long continued; lengthened in duration; prolonged in time; as, a great while; a great interval.
  • (superl.) Superior; admirable; commanding; -- applied to thoughts, actions, and feelings.
  • (superl.) Endowed with extraordinary powers; uncommonly gifted; able to accomplish vast results; strong; powerful; mighty; noble; as, a great hero, scholar, genius, philosopher, etc.
  • (superl.) Holding a chief position; elevated: lofty: eminent; distingushed; foremost; principal; as, great men; the great seal; the great marshal, etc.
  • (superl.) Entitled to earnest consideration; weighty; important; as, a great argument, truth, or principle.
  • (superl.) Pregnant; big (with young).
  • (superl.) More than ordinary in degree; very considerable in degree; as, to use great caution; to be in great pain.
  • (superl.) Older, younger, or more remote, by single generation; -- often used before grand to indicate one degree more remote in the direct line of descent; as, great-grandfather (a grandfather's or a grandmother's father), great-grandson, etc.
  • (n.) The whole; the gross; as, a contract to build a ship by the great.

Homophones of Great