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great

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great

  [greyt] adjective, -er, -est, adverb, noun, plural greats, (especially collectively) great, interjection
Use great in a Sentence
–adjective
1. unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions: A great fire destroyed nearly half the city.
2. large in number; numerous: Great hordes of tourists descend on Europe each summer.
3. unusual or considerable in degree, power, intensity, etc.: great pain.
4. wonderful; first-rate; very good: We had a great time. That's great!
5. being such in an extreme or notable degree: great friends; a great talker.
6. notable; remarkable; exceptionally outstanding: a great occasion.
7. important; highly significant or consequential: the great issues in American history.
8. distinguished; famous: a great inventor.
9. of noble or lofty character: great thoughts.
10. chief or principal: the great hall; his greatest novel.
11. of high rank, official position, or social standing: a great noble.
12. much in use or favor: “Humor” was a great word with the old physiologists.
13. of extraordinary powers; having unusual merit; very admirable: a great statesman.
14. of considerable duration or length: We waited a great while for the train.
15. Informal.
a. enthusiastic about some specified activity (usually fol. by at, for, or on): He's great on reading poetry aloud.
b. skillful; expert (usually fol. by at or on): He's great at golf.
16. being of one generation more remote from the family relative specified (used in combination): a great-grandson.
–adverb
17. Informal. very well: Things have been going great for him.
–noun
18. a person who has achieved importance or distinction in a field: She is one of the theater's greats.
19. great persons, collectively: England's literary great.
20. (often initial capital letter) greats, (used with a singular verb) Also called great go. British Informal.
a. the final examination for the bachelor's degree in the classics and mathematics, or Literae Humaniores, esp. at Oxford University and usually for honors.
b. the course of study.
c. the subject studied.
–interjection
21. (used to express acceptance, appreciation, approval, admiration, etc.).
22. (used ironically or facetiously to express disappointment, annoyance, distress, etc.): Great! We just missed the last train home.
—Idiom
23. great with child, being in the late stages of pregnancy.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME greet, OE grēat; c. D groot, G gross

Related forms:
greatness, noun

Synonyms:
1. immense, enormous, gigantic, huge, vast, grand. Great, big, large refer to size, extent, and degree. In reference to the size and extent of concrete objects, big is the most general and most colloquial word, large is somewhat more formal, and great is highly formal and even poetic, suggesting also that the object is notable or imposing: a big tree; a large tree; a great oak; a big field; a large field; great plains. 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 not used in reference to degree, but may be used in a quantitative reference: a large number (great number). 6. noteworthy. 7. weighty, serious, momentous, vital, critical. 8. famed, eminent, noted, notable, prominent, renowned. 9. elevated, exalted, dignified. 10. main, grand, leading.

Antonyms:
1. small. 6–8, 10, 11, 14. insignificant.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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great   (grāt)   
adj.   great·er, great·est

  1. Very large in size.

  2. Larger in size than others of the same kind.

  3. Large in quantity or number: A great throng awaited us. See Synonyms at large.

  4. Extensive in time or distance: a great delay.

  5. Remarkable or outstanding in magnitude, degree, or extent: a great crisis.

  6. Of outstanding significance or importance: a great work of art.

  7. Chief or principal: the great house on the estate.

  8. Superior in quality or character; noble: "For he was great, ere fortune made him so" (John Dryden).

  9. Powerful; influential: one of the great nations of the West.

  10. Eminent; distinguished: a great leader.

  11. Grand; aristocratic.

  12. Informal Enthusiastic: a great lover of music.

  13. Informal Very skillful: great at algebra.

  14. Informal Very good; first-rate: We had a great time at the dance.

  15. Being one generation removed from the relative specified. Often used in combination: a great-granddaughter.

  16. Archaic Pregnant.

n.  

  1. pl. greats or great One that is great: a composer considered among the greats.

  2. Music

    1. A division of most pipe organs, usually containing the most powerful ranks of pipes.

    2. A similar division of other organs.

adv.   Informal
Very well: got along great with the teacher.

[Middle English grete, from Old English grēat, thick, coarse.]
great'ly adv., great'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

great 
O.E. great "big, coarse, stout," from W.Gmc. *grautaz (cf. O.S. grot, O.Fris. grat, Du. groot, Ger. groß "great"). Originally "big in size, coarse," it took over much of the sense of M.E. mickle, and is now largely superseded by big and large except for non-material things. As a prefix to terms denoting "kinship one degree further removed" (1538) it is from Fr. grand, which is from L. magnus. In the sense of "excellent, wonderful" it is attested from 1848. Great White Way "Broadway in New York City" is from 1901. Greatcoat "large, heavy overcoat" is from 1661. Great Spirit "high deity of the North American Indians," 1703, originally translates Ojibwa kitchi manitou. The Great War originally (1887) referred to the Napoleonic Wars, later (1914) to what we now call World War I (see world).
" 'The Great War' -- as, until the fall of France, the British continued to call the First World War in order to avoid admitting to themselves that they were now again engaged in a war of the same magnitude." [Arnold Toynbee, "Experiences," 1969]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

great

In addition to the idioms beginning with great, also see good (great) deal; good (great) many; go to any length (great lengths); have a good (great) mind to; make great strides; no great shakes; set (great) store by.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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