giant

JY-uhnt/ˈd͡ʒaɪ.ənt/

Noun pluralgiants

9 meanings of giant

1
hugeadjective
Extremely large in size, much bigger than usual.
Like a normal thing that has been blown up many times bigger.
They built a giant sandcastle on the beach.
A giant wave crashed over the pier and soaked everyone.
UsageIt usually comes before a noun: a giant wave. To compare, say bigger.
Similarhuge, enormous, gigantic, massive, immense
Oppositetiny, small, miniature, minute
2
myth creaturenouncountable
In stories and myths, a creature like a person but huge and very strong.
Like a person scaled up to the size of a house.
In the fairy tale, a giant lived at the top of the beanstalk.
Children love stories where clever heroes outwit hungry giants.
Note
3
big companynouncountable
A very big and powerful company or group of people.
Like a huge tree that blocks the sunlight from the small plants around it.
That retail giant has stores in every major city.
The small startup hoped one day to compete with the tech giants.
UsageSay the kind of business first: a tech giant, a retail giant.
Similarheavyweight, titan, behemoth, powerhouse
4
big speciesnouncountable
A kind of animal or plant that grows much bigger than the usual ones.
The redwood is a giant among trees.
Galápagos tortoises are giants, far larger than the tortoises people keep as pets.
5
very tall personnouncountable
A person who is much taller and bigger than most people.
Like a grown-up standing in a room built for small children.
Her uncle was a giant who had to duck through every doorway.
The wrestling team was full of giants.
Similarcolossus, hulk
6
great figurenouncountable
A person with amazing strength or great mental power.
Like a mountain that stands far above all the hills around it.
Einstein was a giant of modern science.
The literary giants of that century changed how people write.
UsageWe say a giant of science. No intellectual giant means not very clever.
Similartitan, luminary, heavyweight, colossus
Note

Less common meanings

7
starnouncountable
A very big, bright star that shines much more strongly than an ordinary star of the same temperature.
Like a small campfire that has grown into a huge, blazing bonfire.
One day our sun will swell into a giant and grow far bigger.
Many of the brightest stars we see at night are giants.
Note
8
noun
A gymnastics move in which a gymnast swings through a full circle, usually with the body stretched out.
9
noun
On an Ethernet network, a piece of data that is bigger than the largest size the network allows.

Practice

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Origin

It comes from Ancient Greek gígas, meaning "giant," which passed through Latin and Old French before reaching English.

Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

English giant ultimately derives from Ancient Greek gígas, meaning "giant". en.wiktionary.org
The word passed through Latin and Old French before entering English. en.wiktionary.org