tall
tall — adjective
1. having a height that is noticeably greater than what is usual for people or thin
having a height that is noticeably greater than what is usual for people or things of the same type; also used after a number or measurement to state someone's or something's exact height.
Owen is the tallest boy in his class, standing well above the other children.
superlative: tallest in [group]
The new office building is twenty stories tall and blocks our view of the hills.
measurement structure: number + unit + tall
Imani bought a tall bookshelf to store all the textbooks she needs for university.
A tall wooden fence surrounds the garden to keep the dogs from running away.
At nearly six feet tall, Antonia can easily reach the top shelf in the kitchen.
- high
'High' refers to distance above the ground, not the shape of the object itself (a high shelf, a high mountain), whereas 'tall' describes an object whose vertical dimension is greater than its width.
- lofty
More formal and literary; suggests impressive height and often thinness (lofty tower, lofty pine). Much less common than 'tall'.
- big
More general; can refer to any dimension or size. Less precise than 'tall' when describing vertical height specifically.
- short
Direct opposite for both people and objects (a short man, a short wall).
文法句型
tall + noun
be + tall
number + unit + tall
用法筆記
Measurements of height always come before 'tall', never after it: 'six feet tall' (not 'tall six feet'). For people, 'tall' contrasts with 'short'; for objects with a clear vertical dimension (buildings, trees, glasses), 'tall' contrasts with 'low' or 'short' depending on the object.
常見錯誤
2. used to describe a task or request that is very hard to complete or fulfil becau
used to describe a task or request that is very hard to complete or fulfil because it demands too much effort, time, or money.
Finishing the renovation in just two weeks is a tall order for the small crew.
fixed phrase: tall order
The manager called Mayumi's raise request after two months a tall order.
call + [something] + a tall order
A quiet cafe on a weekend at this busy market is a tall order.
For a young startup, raising two million dollars in year one is a tall order.
- difficult
More general and neutral in register. 'Tall order' is stronger and more informal — it suggests the task is almost unreasonable.
- challenging
More positive in tone; implies the difficulty is interesting rather than unreasonable.
- formidable
More formal; suggests the task inspires fear or respect due to its size or difficulty.
- easy
Direct opposite in terms of difficulty level.
文法句型
it + be + a tall order + to-infinitive
[something] + be + a tall order
用法筆記
This sense only appears in the fixed expression 'a tall order' (or informally 'a tall ask'). You cannot use 'tall' alone to mean 'difficult' with other nouns — 'a tall mission' or 'a tall task' are not natural.
常見錯誤
3. used to describe a story or account that is greatly exaggerated, containing deta
used to describe a story or account that is greatly exaggerated, containing details that are hard to believe, usually told to amuse people rather than to deceive them.
Grandpa told us a tall tale of catching a fish as long as a boat.
fixed phrase: tall tale
Lukas laughed off the rumour as just another tall story someone had made up.
fixed phrase: tall story
The fisherman's story grew taller each time he told it at the pub.
No one believed Rachid's tall story about meeting a famous actor on the morning train.
- exaggerated
Neutral and factual; 'exaggerated' simply means made to seem larger or more dramatic than reality.
- fantastic
Can mean both 'extremely good' and 'hard to believe'; context determines which meaning applies.
- unbelievable
Stronger in tone; suggests the story is genuinely hard to accept as true.
- truthful
Describes an account that stays close to the facts.
文法句型
tall + tale
tall + story
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed phrases 'tall tale' (more common in American English) or 'tall story' (more common in British English). Unlike 'lie', a 'tall tale' is told for entertainment and listeners usually know it is exaggerated.