Greater Than Symbol > Copy & Paste: Meaning, Math & Keyboard
The greater than symbol (>) is one of the most widely used mathematical symbols in the world. It appears in math equations, programming comparisons, email addresses, and even everyday text. Every variation is below, ready to copy.
All Greater Than Symbols
| Symbol | Name | Unicode | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|
| > | Greater Than | U+003E | > |
| ≥ | Greater Than or Equal To | U+2265 | ≥ |
| ≫ | Much Greater Than | U+226B | ≫ |
| → | Right Arrow | U+2192 | → |
| ≤ | Less Than or Equal To | U+2264 | ≤ |
| ≳ | Greater Than or Equivalent To | U+2273 | ≳ |
What Does Greater Than Mean?
The greater than symbol (>) means that the value on the left is larger than the value on the right. For example, 5 > 3 means "5 is greater than 3." It is one of the four basic comparison operators in mathematics, alongside less than (<), equal to (=), and not equal to (≠).
The symbol dates back to the 1500s when English mathematician Thomas Harriot first used it in his work on algebra. The "mouth" of the symbol always opens toward the larger value.
How to Remember: The Alligator Method
Teachers often use the "alligator" trick: imagine the symbol is an alligator mouth that always wants to eat the bigger number. The open side faces the larger value, and the point faces the smaller value. 8 > 2 because the alligator eats 8, the bigger meal.
Uses of Greater Than
Mathematics
- Comparisons: 10 > 7 (ten is greater than seven)
- Inequalities: x > 5 means x can be any number larger than 5
- Intervals: (3, ∞) means all numbers greater than 3
- Set notation: x | x > 0 means the set of all positive numbers
Programming
- Comparison operator: if (a > b) — checks if a is greater than b
- Greater than or equal: if (a ≥ b) — checks if a is greater than or equal to b
- Right shift: In C/JavaScript, >> is the bitwise right shift operator
- Arrow functions: In JavaScript, => defines arrow functions
- HTML closing tags: Every HTML tag ends with >
Everyday Use
- Email addresses: Often wrapped as <[email protected]>
- Bookmarks/navigation: Menu > Submenu > Item indicates a path
- Quoting in email: > indicates a quoted line in plain text emails
How to Type Greater Than on Keyboard
Windows
- Standard keyboard: Shift + . (period key) produces >
- Greater than or equal to: Alt + 242 (numeric keypad) produces ≥
Mac
- Standard keyboard: Shift + . (period key) produces >
- Character Viewer: Control+Command+Space, search "greater than"
Mobile
On iOS and Android keyboards, press and hold the period key or switch to the symbols keyboard to find the > symbol.
LaTeX Commands
| Symbol | Command | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Than | > | > |
| Greater or Equal | \geq | ≥ |
| Much Greater | \gg | ≫ |
HTML Entities
| Render | Named Entity | Decimal Code |
|---|---|---|
| > | > | > |
| ≥ | ≥ | ≥ |
Quick Copy Section
All greater than symbols in one place:
> ≥ ≫ ≳
Highlight, copy, paste. The comparison operator at your fingertips.