Definition

1. Noun:

   • A being of human form but superhuman size and strength: An imaginary or mythical creature, often appearing in folklore and fairy tales.
   • A person or thing of extraordinary size, power, or importance: Someone or something that is abnormally large, powerful, or influential within a particular field.
   • A very large and bright star: In astronomy, a star of relatively low density and large diameter compared to the Sun.

2. Adjective:

   • Marked by exceptionally great size, mass, or power: Used to describe something that is huge, enormous, or of extraordinary scale.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The story featured a friendly giant who lived on a mountain. (The story featured a friendly being of superhuman size who lived on a mountain.)
  • He is a giant in the field of theoretical physics. (He is a person of exceptional importance in the field of theoretical physics.)
  • The company became a retail giant. (The company became an unusually large and powerful retail enterprise.)

• Adjective:

  • They built a giant stadium for the games. (They built a stadium of enormous size for the games.)
  • The discovery was a giant step forward for science. (The discovery was a step of extraordinary importance forward for science.)

Advanced Usage

• "A giant among men": A phrase used to describe a person of exceptional moral stature, influence, or achievement.

  • His humanitarian work made him a giant among men. (His humanitarian work made him a person of exceptional moral stature.)

• "To have giant shoulders": A metaphorical expression (often "to stand on the shoulders of giants") meaning to benefit from the knowledge and discoveries of great people who came before.

  • Modern scientists stand on the shoulders of giants. (Modern scientists build upon the work of exceptionally brilliant predecessors.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gigantic (adj): Of very great size or extent; enormous.

  • They faced a gigantic task. (They faced an enormous task.)

• Giantess (n): A female giant.

  • The myth told of a gentle giantess. (The myth told of a gentle female giant.)

Synonyms

• Colossus: A person or thing of enormous size, importance, or ability.
• Titan: A person or thing of very great strength, intellect, or importance.
• Behemoth: Something enormous, especially a large and powerful organization.

Related Phrases

• Sleeping giant: A person, organization, or country with great potential or power that is not currently active or recognized.
  • The region was considered a sleeping giant of economic growth. (The region was considered a place with great, unrealized economic potential.)

Related Idioms

• A giant leap: A very significant advance or progress.

  • The invention of the telephone was a giant leap for communication. (The invention of the telephone was a very significant advance for communication.)

• To slay a giant: To overcome a very large obstacle or defeat a much more powerful opponent.

  • The small startup aimed to slay the industry giant. (The small startup aimed to defeat the much larger, dominant company in the industry.)

Adjective

1. of great mass; huge and bulky
   • a jumbo jet
   • jumbo shrimp

Noun

1. a very bright star of large diameter and low density (relative to the Sun)
2. an imaginary figure of superhuman size and strength; appears in folklore and fairy tales
3. someone or something that is abnormally large and powerful
4. a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
5. an unusually large enterprise
   • Walton built a retail giant
6. a person of exceptional importance and reputation
7. any creature of exceptional size