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great

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adjective American English pronunciation: great /ɡreɪt/ 
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adjectivegreat
comparativegreater
superlativegreatest
Other entries for this word
 
  1. 1
    informal very good, enjoyable, or attractive

    This cake tastes great.

    We had a great day.

    You looked great in that outfit.

    This is a great place for families.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
    1. a.
      used about someone who is nice and a pleasure to be with

      He's a great guy.

      a great friend

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
    2. b.
      used for saying that something that you expected to be good, enjoyable, etc. is not

      That's just great! Now I'll have do it all over again.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
  2. 2
    bigger or more than is usual

    She had great difficulty in guessing where I was from.

    They could be in great danger.

    He was in a great hurry.

    It gives me great pleasure to welcome our next guest.

    This is a great opportunity to raise a lot of money.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
    1. a.
      [only before noun] spoken used for emphasizing the physical size of something or someone
      great big:

      a great big piece of chocolate

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
    2. b.
      used for emphasizing a large number of people or things

      Shakespeare wrote a great many plays.

      The great majority disagree.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
    3. c.
      mainly literary very large and impressive

      the great river

      a great feast

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
    4. d.
      used in the names of buildings, rooms, or features of geography that are very large and impressive

      the castle's great hall

      the Great Barrier Reef

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
    5. e.
      used in the names of birds or animals that are larger than related birds or animals

      the great white shark

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
    See also  deal1
  3. 3
    important or powerful

    a great military power

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
    1. a.
      used about an event or situation that affects a lot of people or a large area

      the greatest environmental disaster in decades

      a great healthcare crisis

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
    2. b.
      used in the names of important events in history

      the Great Depression of the 1930s

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
    3. c.
      used about someone famous or important who is admired by a lot of people, or about their work

      one of the greatest writers of the modern age

      a great work of art

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
    4. d.
      informal used for emphasizing the most important feature of something

      The really great thing about this computer is its speed.

      The great advantage is that this place is so close to town.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
  4. 4
    informal able to do something very well

    He's a great guitarist.

    great at:

    She's great at math.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
    1. a.
      able to deal with certain people very well

      Isn't she great with the children?

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
  5. 5
    mainly spoken used for expressing pleasure or agreement

    It's great to be here.

    I think it's great that he has a girlfriend.

    Great! I'll pick you up at eight, then.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
  6. 6
    informal enthusiastic about something or someone

    I'm your greatest admirer.

    a great football fan

    a great talker/walker/reader etc.:

    She's a great reader of biographies.

    be a great one for (=be enthusiastic about):

    I've never been a great one for spiders and snakes.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of great
See also

This is the American English definition of great. View British English definition of great.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

 

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