26984 words

greats

15 definitions • 43 examples
1
large in amount, size, or degree:

Examples:

an enormous great hole
The issue is of great importance to voters.
The improvement in water standards over the last 50 years has been very great.
A great many people would agree.
the great majority of The great majority of (= almost all) people would agree.
great pleasure formal It gives us great pleasure to announce the engagement of our daughter Maria.
great sorrow formal It is with great sorrow that I inform you of the death of our director.
great sympathy I have great sympathy for you.
great deal of I spent a great deal of time there.
2
used in names, especially to mean large or important:

Examples:

a Great Dane (= large type of dog)
Catherine the Great
the Great Wall of China
the Great Bear (= group of stars)
3
larger in number or amount than:

Examples:

X must be equal to or greater than 10.
4

Examples:

a great politician/leader/artist/man/woman
This is one of Rembrandt's greatest paintings.
Who do you think is the greatest modern novelist?
5

Examples:

6
very good:

Examples:

a great idea
We had a great time last night at the party.
it is great to It's great to see you after all this time!
"I'll lend you the car if you like." "Great! Thanks a lot!"
"What's your new teacher like?" "Oh, he's great."
"How are you feeling now?" "Great."
7
used to mean that something is very bad:

Examples:

Oh great ! That's all I need - more bills!
8
used to emphasize the meaning of another word:

Examples:

a great big spider
a great long queue
You great idiot!
Pat's a great friend of mine.
9
a famous person in a particular area of activity:

Examples:

former tennis great Arthur Ashe
all-time great Woody Allen, one of the all-time greats of the cinema
10
used with a word for a family member to mean one generation away from that member:

Examples:

your great-grandmother (= the grandmother of one of your parents)
your great-grandson (= the grandson of your child)
11

Examples:

the Great Lakes
He went on to great success as an actor.
There was a great deal of (= a lot of) excitement in the classroom before lunch.
12

Examples:

a great president
a great athlete
13
very good or very effective; excellent:

Examples:

We had a great time.
She has a great voice.
This stuff is great for cleaning windows.
14
a famous person in a particular area of activity:

Examples:

This sports facility is named after the tennis great Arthur Ashe.
15
used with a word for a family member, such as grandmother, to mean one generation older than that family member:

Examples:

great-grandmother

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