/ gʊd; NAmE / adjective , noun , adverb
■ adjective
( bet·ter / ˈbetə(r); NAmE / best / best; NAmE /)
HIGH QUALITY
1.
of high quality or an acceptable standard :
a good book
good food
The piano was in good condition.
Your work is just not good enough.
The results were pretty good.
Sorry, my English is not very good.
This is as good a place as any to spend the night.
You'll never marry her—she's much too good for you.
PLEASANT
2.
pleasant; that you enjoy or want :
Did you have a good time in London?
It's good to see you again.
This is very good news .
Let's hope we have good weather tomorrow.
We are still friends, though, which is good.
It's a good thing (= it's lucky) you came early.
SENSIBLE / STRONG
3.
sensible, logical or strongly supporting what is being discussed :
Thank you, good question .
Yes, that's a good point .
I have good reason to be suspicious.
What a good idea !
FAVOURABLE
4.
showing or getting approval or respect :
The play had good reviews.
The hotel has a good reputation.
He comes from a good family.
SKILFUL
5.
good (at sth / at doing sth) able to do sth well :
to be a good actor / cook
to be good at languages / your job
Nick has always been good at finding cheap flights.
6.
good with sth/sb able to use sth or deal with people well :
She's good with her hands (= able to make things, etc.) .
He's very good with children.
MORALLY RIGHT
7.
morally right; behaving in a way that is morally right :
She has tried to lead a good life .
a good deed
Giving her that money was a good thing to do.
He is a very good man.
FOLLOWING RULES
8.
following strictly a set of rules or principles :
It is good practice to supply a written report to the buyer.
She was a good Catholic girl.
KIND
9.
good (to sb) | good (of sb) (to do sth) willing to help; showing kindness to other people :
He was very good to me when I was ill.
It was very good of you to come.
I had to take a week off work but my colleagues were very good about it.
CHILD
10.
behaving well or politely :
You can stay up late if you're good.
Get dressed now, there's a good girl.
HEALTHY
11.
healthy or strong :
Can you speak into my good ear?
I don't feel too good today.
'How are you?' 'I'm good.' (= used as a general reply to a greeting)
USEFUL / HELPFUL
12.
good (for sb/sth) having a useful or helpful effect on sb/sth :
Too much sun isn't good for you.
It's probably good for you to get some criticism now and then.
( informal )
Shut your mouth, if you know what's good for you (= used as a threat) .
13.
no ~ doing sth | no ~ to sb not having a useful or helpful effect :
It's no good complaining—they never listen.
This book is no good to me: I need the new edition.
SUITABLE
14.
good (for sth / to do sth) | good (for sb) suitable or appropriate :
Now is a good time to buy a house.
She would be good for the job.
Can we change our meeting—Monday isn't good (= convenient) for me.
SHOWING APPROVAL
15.
( informal ) used to show that you approve of or are pleased about sth that has been said or done, or to show that you want to move on to a new topic of conversation :
'Dinner's ready.' 'Good—I'm starving.'
'I got the job.' 'Oh, good.'
Good, I think we've come to a decision.
16.
[ only before noun ] ( informal ) used as a form of praise :
Good old Jack!
'I've ordered some drinks.' 'Good man!'
IN EXCLAMATIONS
17.
( informal ) used in exclamations :
Good heavens!
Good God!
LARGE
18.
[ only before noun ] great in number, amount or degree :
a good many people
The kitchen is a good size.
We spent a good while (= quite a long time) looking for the house.
He devoted a good deal of (= a lot of) attention to the problem.
There's a good chance (= it is likely) that I won't be here next year.
AT LEAST
19.
not less than; rather more than :
We waited for a good hour.
It's a good three miles to the station.
THOROUGH
20.
[ only before noun ] thorough; complete :
We had a good laugh about it afterwards.
You'll feel better after a good sleep.
AMUSING
21.
[ usually before noun ] amusing :
a good story / joke
( informal )
That's a good one!
FOR PARTICULAR TIME / DISTANCE
22.
good for sth having enough energy, health, strength, etc. to last for a particular length of time or distance :
You're good for (= you will live) a few years yet.
23.
good for sth valid for sth :
The ticket is good for three months.
LIKELY TO PROVIDE
24.
good for sth likely to provide sth :
He's always good for a laugh.
Bobby should be good for a few drinks.
•
IDIOMS
Most idioms containing good are at the entries for the nouns and verbs in the idioms, for example (as) good as gold is at gold .
- as good as
- as good as it gets
- good and ...
- a good few
- good for you, sb, them, etc.
■ noun
—see also goods
MORALLY RIGHT
1.
[ U ] behaviour that is morally right or acceptable :
the difference between good and evil
Is religion always a force for good?
2.
the good [ pl. ] people who live a moral life; people who are admired for the work they do to help other people :
a gathering of the great and the good
STH HELPFUL
3.
[ U ] something that helps sb/sth :
Cuts have been made for the good of the company .
I'm only telling you this for your own good .
What's the good of (= how does it help you) earning all that money if you don't have time to enjoy it?
What good is it redecorating if you're thinking of moving?
—see also do-gooder
•
IDIOMS
- all to the good
- be no good | not be any / much good
- do good | do sb good
- for good
- to the good
- up to no good
—more at ill adjective , power noun , world
■ adverb
( especially NAmE , informal ) well :
'How's it going?' 'Pretty good.'
( non-standard )
Now, you listen to me good!
••
WHICH WORD
good / goodness
The noun good means actions and behaviour that are morally right. You can talk about a person doing good :
The charity does a lot of good.
•
the difference between good and evil.
Goodness is the quality of being good. You can talk about a person's goodness :
Her goodness shone through.
••
VOCABULARY BUILDING
good and very good
Instead of saying that something is good or very good , try to use more precise and interesting adjectives to describe things:
delicious / tasty food
an exciting / entertaining / absorbing movie
an absorbing /a fascinating /an informative book
a pleasant /an enjoyable trip
a skilful / talented / fine player
impressive / high-quality acting
useful / helpful advice
In conversation you can use words like great , super , wonderful , lovely and excellent .
· note at nice
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English gōd , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch goed and German gut .