Meaning & use
vast
Last updated
UK/vɑːst/
US/væst/
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Extremely large in size, area or amount.
Grammar: Before a noun or after a linking verb: a vast desert; the desert is vast.
The Sahara is a vast desert.
The library has a vast collection of maps.
Vast sums of money were spent.
adjectivebefore a noun
Very great in degree or extent, used for abstract things.
Grammar: Often in the vast majority.
Patterns
- the vast majority of something
The vast majority of students passed.
He has vast experience in finance.
Word forms
| comparative | vaster |
|---|---|
| superlative | vastest |
Common combinations
- vast majority
- The vast majority agreed.
- vast expanse
- A vast expanse of ice stretched ahead.
- vast amount
- We collected a vast amount of data.
- vast improvement
- It is a vast improvement.
Synonyms and how they differ
- enormous
- Enormous stresses sheer size and is more common in speech.
- immense
- Immense is more formal and suggests something beyond measure.
- huge
- Huge is everyday and less dramatic.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: vast or vest?
vast vs vest
A vest is a piece of clothing.
Practice
Which is the best fit? The vast ______ of the ocean made her feel small.
Choose one answer.
Vast pairs with expanse for huge open space; speck and drop are small.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vast”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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