Word forms: comparative taller, superlative tallest
1. adjective
Someone or something that is tall has a greater height than is normal or average.
Being tall can make you feel incredibly self-confident.
She was a young woman, fairly tall and fairly slim.
The windows overlooked a lawn of tall waving grass.
Synonyms: lofty, big, giant, long-legged More Synonyms of tall
2. adjective [asADJas]
You use tall to ask or talk about the height of someone or something.
How tall are you?
I'm only 5ft tall, and I look younger than my age.
I am already as tall as she is.
Tony, my oldest, is already taller than me, and he's only eleven.
high
3.
See a tall order
4.
See to walk tall
More Synonyms of tall
tall in British English
(tɔːl)
adjective
1.
of more than average height
2.
a. (postpositive)
having a specified height
a woman five feet tall
b.
(in combination)
a twenty-foot-tall partition
3. informal
exaggerated or incredible
a tall story
4. informal
difficult to accomplish
a tall order
5. an archaic word for excellent
Derived forms
tallness (ˈtallness)
noun
Word origin
C14 (in the sense: big, comely, valiant); related to Old English getæl prompt, Old High German gizal quick, Gothic untals foolish
tall in American English
(tɔl)
adjective
1.
of more than normal height or stature
a tall man, a tall building
2.
having a specified height
five feet tall
3. US, Informal
hard to believe because exaggerated or untrue
a tall tale
4. US, Informal
large; of considerable size
a tall drink
5. US, Informal
high-flown; pompously eloquent
tall talk
6. Obsolete
a.
handsome
b.
brave
adverb
7.
in an upright, dignified manner
to stand tall, ride tall in the saddle
Derived forms
tallness (ˈtallness)
noun
Word origin
ME tal, dexterous, seemly < OE (ge)tæl, swift, prompt, akin to OHG gizal, swift < IE base *del-, to aim > tale, tell1
More idioms containing
tall
a tall order
tall tales
Examples of 'tall' in a sentence
tall
Luck smiles in a building surrounded by tall trees.
The Sun (2017)
Tall buildings can damage great economic, cultural and social assets.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
And yes, that just means the tallest of tall buildings.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She was just over 5ft tall.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It will change the face of the country, with tall buildings springing up in cities, suburbs losing green space and villages being swallowed up by towns.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
He makes me feel ten feet tall walking out on the pitch.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Tales that may or may not be taller than average.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He could make you feel ten feet tall.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Most elite sprinters are average height because taller ones tend to be in other sports.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Throwing a fire extinguisher from a tall building on to a courtyard full of people was worse than reckless.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Then the rangers had to leap out while the helicopter hovered because the grass was too tall to land.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Most people are tall enough already.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
She was fairly tall and thin with a bright, vivacious manner.
Clerk, Jayana & Siegel, Ruth Modern Literatures of the Non-Western World: Where the Waters Are Born (1995)
Standing in the doorway were a tall woman and a short Libyan man.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The 5ft tall mechanical helpers will transport clinical waste and dirty linen.
The Sun (2010)
We did it once or twice a week after that and it made me feel 10ft tall.
The Sun (2008)
Once condemned as too small, he has already stood tall in a number of successful run chases.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
I am lots taller than average and sometimes clumsy.
Bee, Helen The Developing Child (7th edn.) (1995)
I say perched because the firm seat is fairly tall and some riders may struggle a little with its height.
The Sun (2006)
The tall dark northern buildings, the smiles of young, intelligent students.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In a warm summer, the flowering stems can reach 5ft tall.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The spectacular strike on Europe's tallest building was one of many incidents.
The Sun (2014)
We were all assembled round him when the door opened, and a tall, gaunt woman entered the room.
Arthur Conan Doyle The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892)
The description went: 'A fairly tall person with a neck as long as an arm and a nose as long as a thumb.
The Sun (2006)
In other languages
tall
British English: tall /tɔːl/ ADJECTIVE
Someone or something that is tall is above average height.
He was very tall.
American English: tall
Arabic: طَوِيل
Brazilian Portuguese: alto
Chinese: 高的
Croatian: visok
Czech: vysoký vzrůstem
Danish: høj
Dutch: lang
European Spanish: alto persona
Finnish: pitkä korkea
French: grand long
German: groß
Greek: ψηλός
Italian: alto
Japanese: 高い 高低
Korean: 키가 큰
Norwegian: høy
Polish: wysoki
European Portuguese: alto
Romanian: înalt
Russian: высокий
Latin American Spanish: alto
Swedish: lång
Thai: สูง
Turkish: uzun boylu
Ukrainian: високий
Vietnamese: cao
All related terms of 'tall'
tall oil
any of various oily liquid mixtures obtained by acidifying the liquor resulting from the treatment of wood pulp with sodium hydroxide : it contains chiefly rosin acids and fatty acids and is used in making soaps and lubricants
tall ship
A tall ship is a sailing ship which has very tall masts and square sails .
tall tale
A tall tale is a long and complicated story that is difficult to believe because most of the events it describes seem unlikely or impossible .
walk tall
to have self-respect or pride
Tall Blacks
→ the Tall Blacks
tall drink
a beverage consisting of liquor and a sparkling soda , fruit juice , or the like, to which may be added other ingredients , served in a tall glass, usually with ice
tall glass
A glass is a container made from glass, which you can drink from and which does not have a handle .
tall order
if something is a tall order it is very difficult
tall poppy
a person who has a high salary or is otherwise prominent
tall story
A tall story is the same as a → tall tale .
tall tales
stories or statements which are difficult to believe because they are so exaggerated or unlikely
tall window
A window is a space in the wall of a building or in the side of a vehicle, which has glass in it so that light can come in and you can see out.
a tall order
If something is a tall order , it is very difficult.
to walk tall
If you say that someone walks tall , you mean that they behave in a way that shows that they have pride in themselves and in what they are doing.
the Tall Blacks
the international basketball team of New Zealand
tallol
any of various oily liquid mixtures obtained by acidifying the liquor resulting from the treatment of wood pulp with sodium hydroxide : it contains chiefly rosin acids and fatty acids and is used in making soaps and lubricants
tall poppy syndrome
a tendency to disparage any person who has achieved great prominence or wealth