giant

/'dʤaiənt/
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giant

A giant stands beside a small cottage in a storybook forest.

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.)
giant

A giant stands beside a small cottage in a storybook forest.

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