What does grand in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word grand in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use grand in French.

The word grand in French means tall, big, large, big, large, big, little man, little lady, tall man, tall woman, tall person, tall + [noun], older boy, older girl, older child, greats, in a big way, on a grand scale, wide, grand, whole, very, a great deal of, through a great deal of, with a lot of, roughly, crudely, painstakingly, to my dismay, to my dismay, to my great surprise, with great regret, to my great relief, at top speed, at full speed, at full throttle, aioli, aïoli, Alexander the Great, great-grandmother, great-grandparent, great-grandfather, be fast approaching, rather tall, tall enough, in the open air, in the fresh air, big-hearted, all together, all united, out in force, to the great displeasure of , to 's great displeasure, in broad daylight, in plain sight, really need , be in great need of, be very pleased to do, have a big heart, highwayman, Nicely done! Beautifully handled!, that's a bit much, there isn't much in it, double room, big account, big client, big account client, for a general audience, public announcement, old-fashioned home cooking, in the most awful poverty, in the most awful destitution, in strict accordance with, early in the morning, very early in the morning, semimajor axis, grow out of doing, bring to light, expose, speak highly of , speak very highly of, speak highly of , speak very highly of, speak ill of, be exposed, consumer electronics, on a grand scale, gracefully, be old enough to do , be grown-up enough to do, be a great help to, be in great danger, be the real loser, be a big eater, make a splash, make a big deal about, achieve a Grand Slam, win a Grand Slam, perform a balancing act, perform a delicate balancing act, take the plunge, blockbuster, blockbuster movie, blockbuster, make a big splash, geometrician, the open air, great friend, true love, major axis, deep end, organized crime, deep end, big baby, much good may it do him/her, seriously injured person, critically injured person, upper class person, member of the upper classes, patient suffering severe burns, person suffering severe burns, the Grand Canyon, big money, great circle, upheaval, Moving Day, top chef, master chef, grand slam, classic, saint, angel, good Samaritan, major account, lake whitefish, great fashion designer, couturier, grand cru, great vintage, grand cru, great clumsy oaf, great man, great woman, great person, complete beginner, Good God!, grand speech, great speech, the splits, the big screen, the silver screen, big-screen TV, elector, presidential elector, housing development, big cat, ocean depths. To learn more, please see the details below.

Listen to pronunciation

Meaning of the word grand

tall

adjectif (personne : de grande taille)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Mes parents sont assez petits mais mon frère est grand.
My parents are quite short, but my brother is tall.

big, large

adjectif (qui dépasse la moyenne)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
C'est une grande ville.
It's a big town.

big, large

adjectif (vaste, large, haut)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
C'est un jardin grand comme un terrain de foot.
The garden is as big as a football pitch.

big

adjectif (aîné) (sibling, informal)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
C'est ma grande sœur.
This is my big sister.

little man, little lady

interjection (familier (terme affectueux pour un enfant)

(interjection: Exclamation--for example, "Oh no!" "Wow!")
Alors mon grand, qu'est-ce que tu veux pour Noël ?
So, little man, what do you want for Christmas?

tall man, tall woman, tall person, tall + [noun]

(personne de grande taille)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Rose ne veut sortir qu'avec des grands.
Rose only wants to date tall guys.

older boy, older girl, older child

nom masculin (familier (élève plus âgé)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Il y avait la cour des petits et celle des grands.
There was a playground for the little kids and another for the big ones.

greats

nom masculin (personnage important, marquant) (figure, person)

(plural noun: Noun always used in plural form--for example, "jeans," "scissors.")
Quels sont les grands de la mode aujourd'hui ?
Who are the greats of fashion these days?

in a big way, on a grand scale

adverbe (de façon trop importante)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Pour leur mariage ils ont vu grand.
They did things on a grand scale for their wedding.

wide

adverbe (autant que possible)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Laisse la porte grande ouverte.
Leave the door wide open.

grand

adjectif (noble)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Le chevalier fit un grand geste envers ces pauvres gens.
The knight made a noble gesture towards these poor people.

whole

adjectif (signale une quantité subjective)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Il faut deux grandes heures pour lire ce livre.
It took me a good two hours to read that book.

very

adjectif (soutenu (beaucoup) (before an adjective)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Il faisait noir, j'ai eu grand peur.
It was dark and a great fear came over me.

a great deal of

adverbe (soutenu (à un haut degré)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Mathieu a fini son exercice de maths avec grand-peine.
Matthew finished his maths exercise with much difficulty.

through a great deal of

(en utilisant beaucoup de [qch])

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Ce producteur essaie de faire connaître ses produits à grand coup de publicité.

with a lot of

(en utilisant bcp de [qch])

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
L'ancienne star a fait son retour sur le devant de la scène à grand renfort de pubs télé et radio.

roughly, crudely

locution adverbiale (grossièrement)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Il réalisa le portrait de son modèle à grands traits avant d'y ajouter la couleur.

painstakingly

locution adverbiale (avec difficulté)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Il parvient à grand-peine à se déplacer.

to my dismay

locution adverbiale (de façon incompréhensible pour moi)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
To my dismay, I found the supermarket was out of milk.

to my dismay

locution adverbiale (malheureusement pour moi)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
To my dismay, I found the supermarket was out of milk.

to my great surprise

locution adverbiale (alors que je ne m'y attendais pas)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
J'ai reçu une augmentation à mon grand étonnement.

with great regret

locution adverbiale (contrairement à ma volonté)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
With great regret, I must decline your invitation to your wedding.

to my great relief

locution adverbiale (fort heureusement pour moi)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
To my great relief, my pain was only caused by acid reflux.

at top speed, at full speed, at full throttle

locution adverbiale (très rapidement)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Il est allé donner les informations à vitesse grand V.

aioli, aïoli

nom masculin (plat avec de la morue) (Provençal dish)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
J'ai préparé un aïoli pour demain midi.

Alexander the Great

nom propre masculin (roi de Macédoine) (Ancient Greek king)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

great-grandmother

nom féminin (mère d'un grand-parent)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Mon arrière-grand-mère vient de fêter ses 100 ans.

great-grandparent

nom masculin (souvent au pluriel (parent d'un grand-parent)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Mes arrière-grands-parents sont nés avant 1900.

great-grandfather

nom masculin (père d'un grand-parent)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Mon arrière-grand-père vient de fêter ses 100 ans.

be fast approaching

locution verbale (figuré (temps : se rapprocher très vite)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

rather tall

locution adjectivale (un peu trop grand)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")

tall enough

locution adjectivale (suffisamment grand)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")

in the open air, in the fresh air

locution adverbiale (dehors, en extérieur)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

big-hearted

locution adjectivale (gentil, généreux)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")

all together, all united, out in force

locution adverbiale (totalement réuni)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
La famille était là au grand complet.

to the great displeasure of , to 's great displeasure

(au détriment de [qqn])

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Thomas a reçu toutes les félicitations, au grand dam de son coéquipier. // Anna restait enfermée dans sa chambre la plupart du temps, au grand dam de ses parents. // Pierre a rejoint la concurrence au grand dam de son entreprise.

in broad daylight, in plain sight

locution adverbiale (publiquement)

really need , be in great need of

locution verbale (nécessiter fortement [qch])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Tout le monde est fatigué : nous avons grand besoin de vacances !

be very pleased to do

locution verbale (faire [qch] avec enthousiasme)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

have a big heart

locution verbale (figuré (être généreux) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

highwayman

nom masculin (voleur qui attaque les voyageurs) (historical)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

Nicely done! Beautifully handled!

(souvent ironique (Bravo !)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

that's a bit much

(c'est exagéré) (informal)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Je sauve des vies ? C'est un grand mot. Je me contente de soigner les gens un peu malades.

there isn't much in it

(figuré, familier (il en faut peu pour changer la situation) (informal)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Notre équipe est première de la poule mais ça tient à pas grand-chose.

double room

nom féminin (chambre avec lit double) (hotel)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les chambres avec un grand lit font souvent l'objet d'un supplément.

big account, big client, big account client

nom masculin (client important en volume)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

for a general audience

nom féminin (collection pour tout le monde)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

public announcement

nom féminin (communication pour tout le monde)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

old-fashioned home cooking

nom féminin (mets cuisiné de manière traditionnelle)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

in the most awful poverty, in the most awful destitution

locution adverbiale (soutenu (dans une grande misère)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Cet artiste a fini sa vie dans le plus grand dénuement.

in strict accordance with

(conformément à)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Ce bœuf bourguignon a été préparé dans le plus grand respect de la tradition.

early in the morning, very early in the morning

locution adverbiale (très tôt)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Il faut se lever de grand matin pour aller à la pêche.

semimajor axis

nom masculin (ellipse : moitié de grand axe)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

grow out of doing

locution verbale (être trop âgé pour [qch])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

bring to light, expose

locution verbale (révéler [qch] à tous)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")

speak highly of , speak very highly of

(louer, vanter [qqn])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

speak highly of , speak very highly of

(louer, vanter [qch])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

speak ill of

(médire de [qqn/qch])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

be exposed

locution verbale (être révélé)

Son secret a fini par éclater au grand jour.
His secret was exposed to the light of day.

consumer electronics

nom masculin (équipement de masse)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
L'électronique grand public est l'ensemble des appareils utilisant l'électronique à destination du grand public.

on a grand scale

locution adverbiale (démesurément)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Il faut toujours qu'il fasse les choses en grand !

gracefully

locution adverbiale (figuré (avec noblesse)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Ce sportif a perdu la finale en grand seigneur.

be old enough to do , be grown-up enough to do

locution verbale (être en âge de faire [qch] seul)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

be a great help to

locution verbale (être très utile)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Ma meilleure amie était là quand tous ces malheurs sont arrivés, elle m'a été d'un grand secours.

be in great danger

locution verbale (courir de grands risques)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Les Résistants étaient en grand danger durant la dernière guerre.

be the real loser

locution verbale (celui qui perd le plus)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Les classes moyennes seront encore les grandes perdantes de cette réforme.
ⓘCette phrase n'est pas une traduction de la phrase originale. The middle classes will, once again, be the real losers in this reform.

be a big eater

locution verbale (manger beaucoup)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

make a splash

locution verbale (être beaucoup commenté)

make a big deal about

(soutenu (accorder une grande importance à [qch])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

achieve a Grand Slam, win a Grand Slam

locution verbale (remporter une série de victoires) (Sports)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
L'Angleterre fait souvent le grand chelem au tournois des six nations de rugby.

perform a balancing act, perform a delicate balancing act

locution verbale (figuré (être entre deux choix) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

take the plunge

locution verbale (prendre une décision importante) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

blockbuster

nom masculin (spectaculaire)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
La trilogie du Seigneur des Anneaux est un film à grand spectacle.

blockbuster movie, blockbuster

nom masculin (film populaire) (figurative)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

make a big splash

locution verbale (figuré (impressionner, faire fort)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

geometrician

nom masculin (figuré (Dieu)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Platon appelle Dieu le grand géomètre.

the open air

nom masculin (extérieur)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

great friend

(ami très apprécié)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

true love

nom masculin (amour très intense)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

major axis

nom masculin (plus grand diamètre d'une ellipse) (Geometry)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le grand axe joint les deux points les plus opposés d'une ellipse.

deep end

nom masculin (partie profonde d'une piscine)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

organized crime

nom masculin (malfaiteurs très dangereux)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

deep end

nom masculin (partie de piscine où l'on a pas pied)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
On passe dans le grand bassin quand on sait nager sans flotteurs.

big baby

nom masculin (homme immature) (pejorative)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

much good may it do him/her

(ironique (Que cela soit profitable) (ironic)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Il possède 3 appartements, et bien grand bien lui fasse !

seriously injured person, critically injured person

nom masculin (personne gravement blessée) (accident)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Cet accident a fait 3 blessés légers et un grand blessé.

upper class person, member of the upper classes

nom masculin (notable)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

patient suffering severe burns, person suffering severe burns

([qqn] fortement brûlé)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

the Grand Canyon

nom propre masculin (USA : région de l'Arizona) (Arizona)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le Grand Canyon a été creusé par le fleuve Colorado.

big money

nom masculin (grandes fortunes) (Finance)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Il pense que les institutions internationales sont inféodées au grand capital.

great circle

locution adjectivale (géométrie : division d'une sphère)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

upheaval

nom masculin (figuré (révolution)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

Moving Day

nom propre masculin (histoire : déportation acadienne) (Quebec holiday)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

top chef, master chef

nom masculin (chef cuisinier étoilé)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

grand slam

nom masculin (série de victoires) (often capitalized)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

classic

nom masculin (figuré ([qch] de déjà vu, paradigme)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

saint, angel, good Samaritan

nom masculin ([qqn] de généreux) (figurative)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

major account

nom masculin (gros client)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

lake whitefish

nom masculin (poisson voisin du saumon)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

great fashion designer, couturier

(professionnel de la haute couture)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

grand cru, great vintage

nom masculin (vin de très grande qualité)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le Romanée-Conti est un prestigieux grand cru de Bourgogne.

grand cru

nom masculin (vin : terroir de très grande qualité)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Cette parcelle de Vosnes-Romanée est classée en grand cru.

great clumsy oaf

nom masculin (familier (grand garçon un peu gauche) (pejorative)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

great man, great woman, great person

(personnage influent mondialement)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Staline et Churchill furent des grands de ce monde.

complete beginner

(ignare dans un domaine)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

Good God!

interjection (expression d'étonnement) (alarm, surprise)

(interjection: Exclamation--for example, "Oh no!" "Wow!")

grand speech, great speech

nom masculin (discours stimulant)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

the splits

nom masculin (figure de gymnastique) (UK)

the big screen, the silver screen

nom masculin (le cinéma)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Ma nièce a toujours rêvé de jouer pour le grand écran.

big-screen TV

nom masculin (grande télévision)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Quand nous avons aménagé dans notre nouvelle maison, nous avons acheté un grand écran.
When we moved into our new house, we bought a big-screen TV.

elector, presidential elector

nom masculin (membre d'un collège électoral) (US electoral system)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

housing development

nom masculin (regroupement dense de grands bâtiments)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

big cat

nom masculin (félin de grande taille)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

ocean depths

nom masculin (abysse, grandes profondeurs)

(plural noun: Noun always used in plural form--for example, "jeans," "scissors.")
On a découvert de la vie près des cheminées hydrothermales des grands-fonds.

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Related words of grand

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French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.