noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/kəˈlɒs.əs/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American, dialectal:/kəˈlɑ.səs/of Canada
Canada, dialectal:/kəˈlɒs.əs/of the US
New-Zealand:/kəˈlɔs.əs/
New-Zealand:/kəˈlɒs.əs/
New-Zealand:[kəˈlɔ̟s.əs]
rhymes with -ɒsəs
CMU ARPABET:K AH0 L AA1 S AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A statue of gigantic size. The name was especially applied to certain famous statues in antiquity, as the Colossus of Nero in Rome and the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Any creature or thing of gigantic size.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Somebody or something very greatly admired and respected.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
a person of exceptional importance and reputation
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: behemoth, giant, heavyweight, titan
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: important person, influential person, personage
5
noun
Meaning 5
someone or something that is abnormally large and powerful
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: giant, goliath, behemoth, monster
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: anomaly, unusual person
History
Etymology
From Latin colossus, from Ancient Greek κολοσσός (kolossós, “large statue, especially the colossus of Rhodes”), from an unknown Pre-Greek etymon (and erroneously associated with κολοφών).
Across languages
Translations
34 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Belarusian:
кало́с
(kalós)
— a statue of gigantic size
Bulgarian:
ко́лос
(kólos)
— a statue of gigantic size
Catalan:
colós
— a statue of gigantic size
Czech:
kolos
— a statue of gigantic size
French:
colosse
— a statue of gigantic size
German:
Koloss
— a statue of gigantic size
Greek:
κολοσσός
(kolossós)
— a statue of gigantic size
Hawaiian:
koloso
— a statue of gigantic size
Hungarian:
kolosszus
— a statue of gigantic size
Italian:
colosso
— a statue of gigantic size
Polish:
kolos
— a statue of gigantic size
Portuguese:
colosso
— a statue of gigantic size
Russian:
коло́сс
(kolóss)
— a statue of gigantic size
Spanish:
coloso
— a statue of gigantic size
Swedish:
koloss
— a statue of gigantic size
Ukrainian:
коло́с
(kolós)
— a statue of gigantic size
Belarusian:
кало́с
(kalós)
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
Bulgarian:
гига́нт
(gigánt)
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
Bulgarian:
ко́лос
(kólos)
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
Catalan:
colós
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
Czech:
kolos
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
Dutch:
kolos
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
German:
Koloss
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
German:
Riese
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
German:
Gigant
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
Greek:
κολοσσός
(kolossós)
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
Hungarian:
kolosszus
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
Italian:
colosso
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
Polish:
kolos
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
Portuguese:
colosso
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
Russian:
гига́нт
(gigánt)
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
Spanish:
coloso
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
Swedish:
koloss
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
Ukrainian:
коло́с
(kolós)
— any creature or thing of gigantic size
