tall

[ tawl ]

adjective

, tall·er, tall·est.

1. having a relatively great height; of more than average stature: tall grass.

   a tall woman;

   tall grass.

   Antonyms: short

2. having stature or height as specified:

   a man six feet tall.

3. large in amount or degree; considerable:

   a tall price;

   Swinging that deal is a tall order.

4. extravagant; difficult to believe:

   a tall tale.

5. high-flown; grandiloquent:

   He engages in so much tall talk, one never really knows what he's saying.

6. having more than usual length; long and relatively narrow:

   He carried a tall walking stick.

7. (of a drink) consisting of liquor mixed with other ingredients and served in a large glass, as a cocktail:

   We watched as he put together a Mamie Taylor, a tall drink with Scotch, ginger beer, and lime.

8. Tall, (of beverages at Starbucks coffee shops) being of a small size equal to 12 ounces (354 milliliters). Compare Grande ( def ), Venti ( def ).
9. Archaic. valiant.
10. Obsolete.
    1. seemly; proper.
    2. fine; handsome.

adverb

1. in a proud, confident, or erect manner: to walk tall.

   to stand tall;

   to walk tall.

noun

1. Tall, (at Starbucks coffee shops) a small size of beverage equal to 12 ounces (354 milliliters). Compare Grande ( def ), Venti ( def ).

tall

/ tɔːl /

adjective

1. of more than average height
2. 1. postpositive having a specified height

      a woman five feet tall

   2. ( in combination )

      a twenty-foot-tall partition

3. informal.
   exaggerated or incredible

   a tall story

4. informal.
   difficult to accomplish

   a tall order

5. See excellent
   an archaic word for excellent

Derived Forms

• ˈtallness, noun

Other Words From

• tall·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tall¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English: “big, bold, comely, proper, ready,” Old English getæl (plural getale ) “quick, ready, competent”; cognate with Old High German gizal “quick”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tall¹

C14 (in the sense: big, comely, valiant); related to Old English getæl prompt, Old High German gizal quick, Gothic untals foolish

Idioms and Phrases

• walk tall

Synonym Study

See high.

Example Sentences

Today, drivers want tall wagons that we call “crossover SUVs.”

From Popular-Science

Having recently studied mountains — the American Rockies and the Himalayas — in my seventh-grade geology class, I take issue with the Alleghenies being mountains, even though Liberty’s 1,190-foot summit is the tallest I’ve ever seen.

From Washington Post

Xerox’s new printer is 9 feet wide, 7 feet tall, and reaches an internal temperature of more than 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

From Popular-Science

Our tallest building, One America Plaza at the foot of Broadway, reaches right to the maximum height.

From Voice of San Diego

An earlier version of this article said the Helix will be 22 stories tall, but it will not have traditional stories.

From Washington Post

Also, she was tall and thin, too, further adding to the ways she met the physical beauty conventions.

From The Daily Beast

But when she called back, Brinsley was determined to tall her about his minted screenwriter status.

From The Daily Beast

It had a wide brim and a tall crown, which created an insulated pocket of air and could also be used to carry water.

From The Daily Beast

A tugboat improbably sits high on the bank, obscured by tall grass, a broken oil rig hangs over the water nearby.

From The Daily Beast

It was headquartered in Stanleyville, in a tall corner building that still stands in the decrepit, yet lively, downtown.

From The Daily Beast

A tall phantom in livery appeared, as if by magic, and signed to me to ascend the grand staircase.

From Project Gutenberg

He is rather tall and narrow, and wears a long abb's coat reaching nearly down to his feet.

From Project Gutenberg

He was tall and of familiar figure, and the firelight was playing in the tossed curls of his short, fair hair.

From Project Gutenberg

She threw out her arms as if swimming when she walked, beating the tall grass as one strikes out in the water.

From Project Gutenberg

The way was under a double row of tall trees, which met at the top and formed a green arch over our heads.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• big
• great
• lanky
• rangy
• soaring
• towering