Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - good

~1 adj comparative better, superlative best 1 »OF A HIGH STANDARD« of a high standard  (a good reputation | a good quality cloth | a good Muslim | This book is not as good as her last one. | His test scores were good, but hers were even better. | We received the best medical treatment. | very/extremely/pretty etc good)  (Mike's done an extremely good job of painting thewindows. | (not) good enough)  (Your work's simply not good enough. | be too good for sb informal)  (David doesn't deserve to have a girlfriend like Kate - she's much too good for him!)  (- opposite bad1 (2), poor (3)) 2 »OF THE RIGHT KIND« having qualities that are worth praising  (He is a good husband. | $50 is a very good price. | That's good news! | They've had a really good idea. | any good)  ("Is your new doctor any good?" - "Yes, she's OK.") 3 no good/not much good/not any good a) not very useful  (This radio's not much good, is it? | it is no good doing sth)  (It's no good talking to him - he never listens. | no good for sth)  (These glasses are no good for champagne. | no good to sb)  (A car's not much good to me, since I can't drive!) b) bad  (The movie wasn't much good.) 4 »SKILFUL« clever or skilful  (She's a good skier. | good at sth/doing sth)  (Alfred is very good at languages. | good with sth/sb (=skilful at using something or dealing with someone))  (My receptionist is very good with people.)  (- opposite bad1 (2), poor (5)) 5 be no good at/not be much good at/not be very good at not to be skilful at something or doing something  (You're not very good at reading maps, are you?) 6 »STRONG« strong; likely to be successful, to persuade people etc  (I want an explanation, and it had better be good! | That's a good point. | You have a fairly good chance of winning.)  (- opposite poor (3), weak (5)) 7 »ENJOYABLE« enjoyable; pleasant  (It's good to see you again. | That was good fun. | have a good time/day/weekend etc)  (The kids had a very good time at the zoo. | too much of a good thing (=something which stops being pleasant because you have too much of it or it continues for too long))  (- see also the good old days old (16)) 8 a) good for sth/good for doing sth suitable for something  (It's a good day for a trip to the mountains. | This is the best knife for cutting vegetables. | Those cards would be good for the invitations.) b) good for sb especially AmE convenient for someone  (Ten o'clock is good for me. | So we're all meeting at the beach? That's good for me.) 9 »HELPFUL« helpful  (good advice | That's a very good example. | She'll be a good influence on him. | be good for sth (=help it to develop or be produced))  (This weather is very good for business. | It's been a good year for apples.)  (- opposite bad1 (1), poor (3)) 10 »IN A GOOD CONDITION« in a satisfactory condition for use; not broken, damaged, decayed, out­of­date etc  (You need good shoes for hiking. | good for three days/a week etc (=to be used during that time))  (This ticket is good for one month. | as good as new (=in perfect condition, especially after being cleaned or repaired))  (They've fixed the car, and it's as good as new.)  (- see also pay good money for money (5)) 11 »HEALTHY« healthy  (This water isn't good to drink. | feel good)  (I don't feel too good. | He's feeling better today. | be good for sb)  (Milk is good for you. | It isn't good for children to watch too much TV.) 12 »SHOWING APPROVAL« Good spoken a) used to show that you are pleased about something  (Good, I'm glad you've got it under control. | "Seven minus two is five". "Good".) b) used when something has been decided or agreed  (Good. We'll use the new one, then.) 13 »CHILD« a word meaning well-behaved, used especially about a child  (She's such a good baby. | Be a good girl, now. | as good as gold (=extremely well-behaved)) 14 »KIND« kind  (good about)  (I had some time off work when my mother was ill, but my boss was very good about it. | good of sb (to do sth) fomal)  (It was good of you to come to the funeral. | good to sb (=an expression meaning kind to someone, used especially to defend someone))  (Mr Hawkins has always been very good to me.) 15 »LARGE« large in amount, area, or range  (They stock a good range of furniture. | a good crop of mangoes | I've travelled a good distance. | a good while informal (=quite a long time))  (We'd waited a good while by now.)  (- see also goodish) 16 »MORALLY RIGHT« morally right  (a good man | I still think it was a good thing to do. | my/his etc good deed for the day informal (=something you do that helps someone else, especially something boring or unimportant) | the good guys informal (=the people who represent morally right behaviour, especially in films) | be no good informal (=be a morally bad person))  (Stay away from Gerry. He's no good.)  (- opposite bad1 (3)) 17 »COMPLETE« complete; thorough  (Take a good look at it. | She had a good cry. | That needs a good washing. | good and ... informal (=very or completely))  (Don't rush me; I'll do it when I'm good and ready.) 18 a good deal a lot  (They went out a good deal. | a good deal of trouble/time etc)  (I went to a good deal of trouble to get this ticket.) 19 a good deal larger/better etc also a good bit larger/better etc BrE much larger, better etc  (Their kitchen is a good deal wider than ours.) 20 a good friend someone who you know very well and like very much 21 hold good if a law, rule, reason etc holds good it is or remains effective or true  (theories that hold good for all countries | These words, uttered in 1848, still hold good today.) 22 the good good people generally; those who do what is right  (Christians believe that the good go to heaven when they die.)  (- see also the great and the good great (21)) 23 be too good to be true/to last informal to seem to be so good that you think something must be wrong, or expect something bad to happen  (She found out he was married - I knew he was too good to be true!) 24 in good time (for sth/to do sth) if you arrive somewhere in good time to do something, you arrive early enough to do it 25 in her/their etc own good time informal someone who does something in their own good time does not do it when other people want them to, but only when they are completely ready to do it 26 as good a time/place etc as any usually spoken used to say that although a time etc is not perfect, there will not be a better one  (Well, I suppose this is as good a spot as any to set up camp.) 27 good for nothing informal someone who is good for nothing is completely useless and worthless  (- see also good­for­nothing) 28 to be good for a meal/a few drinks etc informal be likely to give you something  (My uncle should be good for a few bucks.) 29 good offices formal services provided, especially by someone in a position of power, that help someone out of a difficulty  (Through the good offices of the ambassador we were given special permission to travel.) 30 be in sb's good books informal if you are in someone's good books, they like you or approve of you more than they usually do  (I'll ask my boss for the day off - I'm in her good books at the moment.) 31 the good book old-fashioned sometimes humorous the Bible 32 good Samaritan someone who gives help to people in trouble  (Mrs Hoare was the good Samaritan who came to our rescue.) 33 in good faith formal sincerely  (I promised you that in good faith, but I can't do it, I'm afraid.) 34 a good three miles/ten years etc at least three miles, ten years etc, and probably more  (It's a good mile away. | He's a good ten years younger than her.) 35 be good for another three years/hundred miles etc something that is good for a particular length of time is not in good condition but will probably last for that length of time  (Nonsense, my bike's good for a few miles yet!) 36 a good few/many informal quite a lot of something  (I've done this a good few times now. | "How many people were there?" "Oh, a good many.") 37 as good as done/finished/yours etc used to say that something is almost done etc, or definitely will be soon  (The work is as good as finished.) 38 as good as dead/ruined/useless etc in a state that is not much better than being dead, ruined etc  (If he finds out, I'm as good as dead!) 39 give as good as you get BrE informal to react to someone who attacks or harms you by doing equal damage to them 40 have a good thing going to be doing something that is and will continue to be successful  (They've got a good thing going with that little business of theirs.) 41 be as good as your word to keep your promise  (He said he'd see what he could do, and he was as good as his word.) 42 a good word for sb/sth a favourable remark about someone or something  (have a good word (to say) for sb/sth)  (I'm afraid no one had a good word to say for her. | put in a good word for sb)  (When you see the CEO, put in a good word for me.) 43 be onto a good thing informal to have found a way of getting a lot without paying money or working hard 44 make good also make it good an expression meaning to become successful and rich after being poor, used especially in newspapers  (a boy from a hick town who made good in New York) 45 make good a debt/loss etc an expression meaning to pay someone money that you owe, or provide money instead of what has been lost, used especially in business  (The loss to the company was made good by contributions from its subsidiaries.) 46 make good your escape literary to succeed in escaping 47 the good life a simple, natural way of living  (- see also so far so good far1 (21), while the going's good going1 (4), for good measure measure1 (9), bad/good sailor sailor (2), that's/it's all well and good well3 (5)) 48 good a) used to say that you are pleased that something happens or is done  ("I could do it tomorrow if you want." "Good.") b) used to tell someone that you think their work or what they are doing is good  (Good, that's the way, keep going.) 49 oh good used to say that you are pleased that something you didn't know about happens or is done  ("I've invited Danny and Marilyn to dinner tonight." "Oh good.") 50 good morning/afternoon/evening used to say hello to someone in the morning, afternoon or evening  (Good afternoon everyone. Sorry I'm late.) 51 what a good girl/boy/dog etc used to tell a child or animal that it has behaved well or done something well  (What a good girl! Mummy's going to give you a nice chocolate.) 52 good idea/point/question used when someone says or suggests something interesting or important that you had not thought of before  ("But tomorrow's Sunday, the bank will be closed." "Yes, good point.") 53 that's no good used to say that something is not suitable or convenient  ("I could do it next week." "That's no good. I'll be away.") 54 that's/it's not good enough used to say that you are not satisfied with something and you are annoyed about it  (Look, it's just not good enough. I've been waiting an hour!) 55 good luck used to say that you hope that someone is successful or that something good happens to them  ("When's the exam?" "Next week." "Well, good luck and stay calm.") 56 good luck to him/them used to say that you hope someone is successful, although you think it is very unlikely that they will be  (Good luck to them. You've got to respect them for trying.) 57 good for you/her also good on you/her BrE, AusE used to say that you approve of or are pleased with what someone has done or decided  ("I told him to go away and leave me alone." "Good for you.") 58 it's a good thing also it's a good job BrE used to say that you are glad something happened, because there would have been problems if it had not happened  (It's a good thing you were in. I lost my keys. | and a good thing/job too BrE)  (She's gone, and a good thing too.) 59 good old John/Karen etc used to praise someone, especially because they have behaved in the way that you would expect them to  (Good old Roger! I knew he wouldn't let us down.) 60 good grief/god/lord/heavens/gracious! used to express surprise, anger, or other strong feelings  ("It's going to cost us -500 to repair it." "Good grief!") 61 be a good laugh BrE to be enjoyable or amusing  (You should come to the club with us some time, it's always a good laugh.) 62 be good for a laugh to be enjoyable, or amusing to do, although not useful, important etc  (Let's go watch the guys trying to skate. That should be good for a laugh.) 63 that's a good one used to tell someone that you do not believe something they have said and think it is a joke or a trick  (You won $50,000? Very funny, that's a good one!) 64 all in good time used when someone wants you to hurry but you are not going to  ("When are we going to open our presents, Mom?" "All in good time, Billy, all in good time.") 65 if you know what's good for you used to threaten someone that something bad will happen to them if they don't do something  (Do as he says, if you know what's good for you!) 66 would you be good enough to/be so good as to...? formal used to ask someone very politely to do something  (Would you be good enough to help me with my bags.) 67 good day BrE old-fashioned used to say `hello' or `goodbye' 68 very good BrE old-fashioned used to tell someone in a position of authority over you that you will do what they have told you to  ("Tell the men to come in." "Very good, sir.") 69 (jolly) good show old-fashioned BrE used to express your satisfaction with something ~2 n 1 »ADVANTAGE« gain or advantage  (do sb (a power of/the world of) good (=to bring someone (a lot of) advantages or improvement))  (It'll do you good to have a vacation. | That little talk with the boss certainly did him the world of good! | for the good of (=to help something))  (I hate swimming - I only go for the good of my health. | for your/his/their own good)  (Come on, drink up the medicine - it's for your own good! | do more harm than good)  (I don't think you should go - it's bound to do more harm than good. | the common/general good formal (=the advantage of everyone in society or in a group)) 2 do no good/not do any good to not have any useful effect  (Try and persuade her if you like, but I don't think it'll do any good!) 3 What's the good of...?/What good is...? informal used to say that having or doing something brings you no advantage  (What's the good of buying a boat if you're too busy to use it? | What good is money when you haven't any friends?) 4 »GOOD BEHAVIOUR« actions or behaviour that are morally right or that follow religious principles  (She is definitely an influence for good on those boys. | There's good in him, in spite of his violent behaviour. | good and evil)  (the eternal struggle between good and evil)  (- see also do­gooder) 5 be up to no good informal to be doing or planning something wrong or dishonest  (Anyone waiting around on street corners at night must be up to no good.) 6 for good also for good and all informal if someone closes something, leaves, stays etc for good, they close it, leave etc permanently  (We've separated from each other before, but I think it's for good this time.) 7 be -10, $50 etc to the good to have made a profit of -10, $50 etc 8 technical a particular article that is produced in order to be sold  (a good that could have been obtained more cheaply elsewhere)  (- see also goods (1)) ~3 adv AmE a word meaning well, which some people think is incorrect  (Listen to me good!)