Meaning & use
great big
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nouninformal
Very large, used to emphasize how big something is, often with a friendly or playful tone.
Grammar: It comes before the noun and cannot follow be: a great big dog, not the dog is great big.
Patterns
- a great big something
He gave me a great big grin when I opened the door.
There is a great big puddle outside the shop.
The children made a great big snowman in the yard.
adjectivebefore a nouninformalhumorous
Used to stress an emotion or quality, so that it sounds complete or obvious, sometimes with mild criticism.
Grammar: It intensifies abstract nouns: a great big mistake, a great big thank you.
Patterns
- a great big mistake
Leaving the cake out overnight was a great big mistake.
She gave the team a great big thank you.
Don't be a great big baby about the injection.
Common combinations
- great big smile
- She welcomed us with a great big smile.
- great big hug
- Come here and give me a great big hug.
- great big mess
- The kitchen was a great big mess after the party.
- great big world
- It is a great big world out there.
Synonyms and how they differ
- enormous
- Enormous is neutral and stronger in size, while great big sounds casual and warm.
- huge
- Huge is a common neutral word for very large, but it lacks the playful feeling of great big.
- whopping
- Whopping is informal and stresses surprising size, usually with numbers or amounts.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: great big or greatest?
great big vs greatest
Greatest is the superlative of great and means the most excellent, not simply very big.
Practice
Which sentence uses great big correctly?
Choose one answer.
Great big must come before a noun (a great big orange); it cannot follow looked directly, and the word order cannot be reversed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “great big”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.