I. ˈgrā]t, South often -re(ə)] or -rāə]; usu ]d.+V adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English grete, from Old English grēat coarse-grained, large, tall; akin to Old Frisian grāt large, Old Saxon grōt, Old High German grōz and probably to Old English grēot sand, grit — more at grit
1.
a. : large in spatial dimension : of notable size : big
a boy of nine, great and heavy for his years — Arnold Bennett
had eaten great juicy steaks — Bruce Marshall
the great size of these figures — the largest man is 167 feet long and has an arm spread of 164 feet — American Guide Series: California
the best forests had been reduced to great stretches of stump land — American Guide Series: Minnesota
b. now dialect : pregnant
c. : of a kind characterized by relative largeness — used in plant and animal names
d. archaic : capital
great A
e. chiefly Scotland , of a stream or body of water : high , swollen
f. : elaborate , ample
a plan worked out in great detail
2.
a. : large in number : numerous
a great multitude of warriors
a great company of men
the respect due his greater years
b. : predominant , overruling — used in such phrases as the great majority, the great body
the great bulk of the populace favors peace
written nearly a thousand letters about goats, the great majority in reply to people who have asked questions — Joan & Harry Shields
3. : considerable or remarkable in magnitude, power, intensity, degree, or effectiveness
great bloodshed
a great weariness
with great difficulty
the year of the great inflation — H.H.Martin
: loud
a great voice
a great uproar
: heavy , forceful
a great blow with the fist
: intense
a great pain shooting through the arm
: far-reaching : big in scope
when once the great plans for power transmission have been realized — Samuel Van Valkenburg & Ellsworth Huntington
: extreme , marked
showed great good taste
: very close
a great friend of mine
: markedly accomplished
a great lover
4.
a. : full or charged especially with an emotion
great with anger
great with pride
others who returned from overseas great with message — E.P.Snow
when kings are reduced to thumb size and beasts are great with wisdom — Time
b. archaic : proud , arrogant
5.
a. : prominent , renowned
a great politician
a great dictator
a great creator of confusion in the political scene
: eminent , distinguished
a great poet
the great and aging father of modern electronics
: important , significant
one of the great theories in Christian ethics
: weighty , effective
a great argument in criminal-law practice
a great truth
b. : chief or preeminent over others
the great work of his old age was the decoration of the chapel — Encyc. Americana
defines the scope of some of the great questions that call for answers — W.H.Bucher
the great novelist of the war years
— often used in titles
Lord Great Chamberlain
c.
(1) : belonging to the aristocracy
most people thought it quite natural that great folk should have great privileges — G.B.Shaw
(2) : marked by an aristocratic, dignified, lofty bearing : grand
great ladies descending from their chauffeured cars
d. : being to a notable degree
a great beauty
a great indignity
e. : being on a large scale
appealed to the great manufacturers for help
f. : having large holdings
the great farmers of the area
6. : long continued : lengthened in duration
a great while
a great interval
7. : favorite
a great trick of his
a great word among the members of the club
8. chiefly dialect : friendly , chummy , thick — often used with overtones of disapproval
they've been mighty great lately, I expect it'll all blow up some day — Anna Doleshaw
9. : main , principal
held the conference in the great hall of the abbey
came down the great staircase
10. : older or younger or more remote in a family relationship by a single generation than (a specified relative)
a great -grandfather
11. : markedly superior in character or quality to others of the same class
a book that could be called good but not great
: of high purpose or nature : lofty , noble , magnanimous
a big man who needed only a little feeling to be a great man — H.J.Laski
a person committed to great ends
great of soul and generous in actions
12.
a. : remarkably or unusually informed or skilled — used with at, on
a man great at tennis
a speaker great on international relations
b. : unusually addicted to or enthusiastic about — used with at, for, or on
a person great at talking by the hour
a person great for gallivanting all over town
mother was always great on fantasy — Catherine Hubbell
a great church worker and well-known for his philanthropies — American Guide Series: Ind.
c. : assiduous , persistent
a great talker
a great skier although he is not very good at skiing
a great collector of books
13. : wonderful , admirable — used as a generalized term of enthusiastic approval
had a great time
the attitude of all concerned was just great
14. Eastern Church : of or relating to Holy Week
great Monday
II. adverb
Etymology: Middle English grete, from grete, adjective
: in a great manner : successfully , well
things are going great
III. noun
( plural great or greats )
Etymology: Middle English grete, from grete, adjective
1. : one that is great : one that is particularly noted or notable for superiority of accomplishment especially in a particular field of activity
the music of Mozart and Beethoven and all the other greats — Deems Taylor
his playing is less monumental … than that of any of the other pianistic great — Virgil Thomson
the golfing greats of last season
some of the scientific greats — Science Illustrated
the great of London society came to their receptions — Fashion Digest
the galaxy of football greats — S.M.Spencer
2.
[by shortening]
: great organ
3. greats plural , usually capitalized
a. : the final examination for the B.A. in classics especially with honors at Oxford University
b. : the course taken in preparation for this examination — compare great go