greater

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

• (UK) enPR: grā'tə(ɹ) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹeɪ.tə(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹeɪ.tɚ/,

  • Audio (US):

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• Audio (US):

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• Rhymes: -eɪtə(ɹ)
• Homophone: grater

greater

1. comparative form of great: more great
   • 2013 July 26, Nick Miroff, “Mexico gets a taste for eating insects as chefs put bugs back on the menu”, in The Guardian Weekly‎, volume 189, number 7, page 32:

     The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters such as ostrich, wild boar and crocodile. Only the city zoo offers greater species diversity.

greater (not comparable)

1. Of two (or, rarely, more than two) things: the larger in size (bigger), in value, in importance etc.

   Antonym: lesser

   greater yellowlegs

2. (attributive) In the names of places or geographic features:
   1. The larger geographic or administrative area that encompasses or belongs to a place (especially if both share the same name).

      Greater Antilles

      • 1997, Virginia Boucher, “Interlibrary Cooperation”, in Interlibrary Loan Practices Handbook, 2nd edition, →ISBN, page 98, column 1:

        GMRLC is a regional consortium of medium-size research libraries (17 in 1995) located in the greater Midwest.

   2. (usually capitalized) Including the surrounding urban areas and conurbation (of a city or other large settlement).

      Greater London

      Greater New York includes adjacent parts of three states, as well as the City itself.

      • 1883, Edward Walford, Greater London: A Narrative of its History, its People, and its Places‎, volume 1, London: Cassell & Company, page 1:

        “Greater London!” What a vague and ill-defined term! We all known London proper, comprising of the City and Westminster, and making up one metropolis.

      • 1990, Chikara Higashi, Geza Peter Lauter, The Internationalization of the Japanese Economy‎, →ISBN, page 285:

        […] statistics revealing that while greater Tokyo has a total area that represents only 3.6 percent of the total land available […] more than 25 percent of the country's population live there.

      • 2004, Janet Golden, Richard Alan Meckel, Heather Munro Prescott, Children and Youth in Sickness and in Health: A Historical Handbook and Guide, →ISBN, page 201:

        The rate in isolated counties was about a third higher than in the greater metropolitan counties.

      • 2013, Peter Newman, Anne Matan, “The Renewable Energy City”, in Green Urbanism in Asia: The Emerging Green Tigers, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 41:

        In February 2010, the largest high—concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) solar power plant in Asia began operation in Lujhu, located in the Greater Kaohsiung area.

      • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:greater.
   3. Referring to a state at its fullest historical (or desired future) extent including colonies, annexed land, etc.

      Greater Armenia

• greatest

• “greater”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

• Traeger, Tregear, regrate