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giant

giant

16 8.8
A very large bright star near the end of its life
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒaɪənt/
  • Specialized
: estrella gigante
  • In a few billion years the sun will become a red giant...
  • red giant
  • giant star
  • core of a giant

Earth will then start to experience viscous drag as it orbits the red giant sun.

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Examples

  • Will the Moon leave Earth orbit before the Sun goes red giant and envelops the Earth?

    Blog text (15)
  • And by the color temperature, I'd say it's a blue giant.

  • Our little ships are fast, but the hungry red giant is faster.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Some people think the sun will swell up into a red giant and burn up all the planets.

  • The system also has three smaller terrestrial planets and two gas giants orbiting the star.

  • Another student noted that the terrain of moons orbiting the gas giants could offer clues about the planet's formation.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The most luminous stars in the bulge are red giants, which in fact emit more infrared than visible light.

    Academic text (1995)
  • The red giant star Betelgeuse is one of the largest and brightest stars in our sky.

  • As astronomers observe the blue giant, they note its unique characteristics and massive size.

  • In the twilight sky, the orange giant Antares shines brightly, captivating stargazers everywhere.

Synonyms

red giant
vsgiant
  • Specialized
8 7.2

A very large old star with a cool surface and much larger size than the Sun

focuses on color and temperature rather than general brightness
giant star
vsgiant
  • Specialized
4 6.8

A very large bright star near the end of its life

is the technical label that is nearly identical in meaning
supergiant
vsgiant
  • Specialized
3 8.5

A very large, bright star much larger than the Sun near the end of its life

is the same late-stage bright star but generally smaller and less luminous
red giant star
vsgiant
  • Specialized
2 6.3

A very large, old star that shines bright and red

is the general bright late-stage star without color or temperature focus
hypergiant
vsgiant
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A very large, very bright star much larger than a supergiant

is the late-stage bright star but much smaller and less luminous

Antonyms

red dwarf
  • Specialized
4 6.4

A small star that is cooler, much dimmer, and lives a very long time

Idioms

A small action that leads to a very large benefit for all people

Compounds

gas giant
  • Specialized
17 4.5

A very large planet like Jupiter or Saturn made mostly of light gases that has no solid surface

giant squid
  • Specialized
9 4.9

A very large animal with long arms that lives deep in the sea and reaches 18 meters

red giant
  • Specialized
8 7.2

A very large old star with a cool surface and much larger size than the Sun

6 1.7

A large black and white bear from China that eats mainly bamboo

sleeping giant
  • Informal
6 6.5

A person or group with large unused power and potential

gentle giant
  • Informal
5 3.4

A very large person who is kind and calm

giant star
  • Specialized
4 6.8

A very large bright star near the end of its life

2 4.9

A very large lizard that lives on some Indonesian islands, for example the Komodo dragon

2 5.9

A very large insect like a cockroach that lives in tropical parts of the Americas

A very large land turtle from islands like Galapagos and Seychelles that lives over 100 years

2 5.7

A very large sea clam that lives on coral reefs

red giant star
  • Specialized
2 6.3

A very large, old star that shines bright and red

giant sequoia
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A very large evergreen tree with a very thick trunk that grows on the Sierra Nevada in California

1 4.1

A very large sea crab from Japan that lives in deep water with very long legs

A large water insect that eats small fish and other water animals

A large strong dog with thick wiry fur and a beard and bushy eyebrows bred to work

giant kangaroo
  • Australian
1 3.4

A very large Australian kangaroo that once lived in open woods

A very large animal like a big frog that lives in Asian rivers and is sometimes eaten

giant sunflower
  • Specialized
1 3.2

A very tall sunflower with thick edible roots

1 6.9

A very large fern that grows in wet tropical forests

1 7.3

A very large animal with a hard shell from South America that grows about three feet long

1 5.3

A very tall grass with jointed stems and feathery white flower clusters near rivers

1 6.5

A very large insect like a wasp that stings and can be aggressive

1 3.8

A large mammal from South America with a long tongue and claws that eats ants and termites

1 3.9

A very tall evergreen tree from northwest America with long curved branches

giant petrel
  • Australian
1 8.1

A large seabird like a big seagull that lives near Antarctic seas and eats dead animals, fish, and squid

1 3.5

A very large bamboo plant from Southeast Asia with strong hollow stems like tree trunks

1 2.9

A large vegetable like a leek with a mild garlic taste

1 7.7

A large tall grass that grows for many years and helps hold soil

1 6.0

A large sea snail with a spiral shell people collect and sometimes eat

A large round white mushroom people eat when it is young

1 4.9

A large edible sea clam that lives in cold Atlantic waters

giant moa
  • New Zealand
1 9.9

A very large bird from New Zealand that cannot fly and is now extinct

1 8.9

A large flowering plant that grows in wet mountain grasslands of Peru

1 7.3

A tall grass that grows in thick groups in the southern United States

1 6.3

A large fish that lives in sea and rivers and people catch to eat and for sport

giant eland
  • South African
1 8.6

A very large antelope with dark stripes and twisted horns that lives in western and central Africa

giant timber bamboo
  • Specialized
1 6.3

Very large bamboo plant with thick stems from China

1 8.9

A coarse grass that grows in fields and crowds out crops

1 6.5

Large raised red patches on the skin that appear suddenly and usually go away within one day

A wildflower of western North America with ragged clusters of bright red flowers

A large brown seabird that lives near Antarctica

A tropical plant that makes very large fruit you can eat

A large wild orchid with greenish-brown and pinkish flowers that grows near streams or ponds

A small evergreen tree from the Pacific Coast with shiny yellow-green leaves and edible nuts

A large shrub with feathery leaves and bright yellow flowers that grows on the coast

A plant grown in gardens for its fragrant leaves and colorful flowers

9.8

A large plant with many green leaves that climbs or spreads over walls

A large fish like a perch that lives in the sea, rivers, and bays and is good to eat

giant silkworm
  • Specialized
7.0

A large caterpillar that makes strong silk for its cocoon

giant silkworm moth
  • Specialized
7.7

A large moth with big wings whose caterpillars make silk

A large sea animal like a worm that bores into wood under water

giant pigfish
  • Australian
9.9

A large colorful fish that lives near coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef

A vine from Costa Rica with large purple-blue flowers and hook-shaped spines

7.7

A tall grass grown for animal feed and hay

giant stock bean
  • Specialized
9.9

A bushy tropical plant with long pods grown for animal feed

giant taro
  • Australian
7.7

A large tropical plant with very big leaves grown for its edible underground stem

A tall plant with many pink flowers that bees like

8.2

A large salamander that lives in western North American forests

yellow giant hyssop
  • Specialized
9.5

A tall plant with yellow-green flowers that lives for many years

How Big

supergiant
  • Specialized
3 8.5
giant
  • Specialized
16 8.8
red dwarf
  • Specialized
4 6.4

Surface Forms

giant singular
giants plural

Etymology

Giant comes from the old Greek word gigas, meaning 'huge', and astronomers borrowed this idea for stars that grow very large. So a 'red giant' is a star that has become much bigger and brighter than the Sun.