giant

[ jahy-uhnt ]
See synonyms for: giantgiants on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. (in folklore) a being with human form but superhuman size, strength, etc.

  2. a person or thing of unusually great size, power, importance, etc.; major figure; legend: a giant in her field; an intellectual giant.

  1. (often initial capital letter)Classical Mythology. any of the Gigantes.

  2. Astronomy. giant star.

adjective
  1. unusually large, great, or strong; gigantic; huge.

  2. greater or more eminent than others.

Origin of giant

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English geant, from Old French, from Latin gigant-, stem of gigās, from Greek Gígās; replacing Old English gigant, from Latin, as above

Other words from giant

  • gi·ant·like, adjective

Words Nearby giant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use giant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for giant

giant

/ (ˈdʒaɪənt) /


noun
  1. a mythical figure of superhuman size and strength, esp in folklore or fairy tales: Also (feminine): giantess (ˈdʒaɪəntɪs)

  2. a person or thing of exceptional size, reputation, etc: a giant in nuclear physics

  1. Greek myth any of the large and powerful offspring of Uranus (sky) and Gaea (earth) who rebelled against the Olympian gods but were defeated in battle

  2. pathol a person suffering from gigantism

  3. astronomy See giant star

  4. mining another word for monitor (def. 8)

adjective
  1. remarkably or supernaturally large

  2. architect another word for colossal

Origin of giant

1
C13: from Old French geant, from Vulgar Latin gagās (unattested), from Latin gigās, gigant-, from Greek

Derived forms of giant

  • giant-like, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012