I. great 1 S1 W1 /ɡreɪt/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative greater , superlative greatest )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ greatness , ↑ great ; adverb : ↑ greatly ; adjective : ↑ great ]
[ Language: Old English ]
1 . LARGE [usually before noun] very large in amount or degree:
The movie was a great success.
The news came as possibly the greatest shock of my life.
The paintings cost a great deal (=a lot) of money.
John always takes great care over his work.
It gives me great pleasure (=I am very pleased) to introduce tonight’s speaker.
It’s a great pity that none of his poems survive.
The temptation was too great to resist.
2 . EXCELLENT especially spoken
very good SYN wonderful , fantastic :
The weather here is great.
It’s great to be home.
a great day out for all the family
sound/taste/smell/feel etc great
I worked out this morning and I feel great.
You look great in that dress.
great for doing something
Email’s great for keeping in touch.
the great thing about somebody/something (=the very good thing about someone or something)
The great thing about Alex is that he’s always willing to explain things to you.
3 . IMPORTANT
a) [usually before noun] important or having a lot of influence:
one of the greatest scientific achievements of our time
What makes a novel truly great?
great historical events
b) used in the title of a person or event that was very important in the past
Peter/Catherine etc the Great
I’m reading a biography of Alexander the Great.
the Great Depression
the Great War old-fashioned (=World War I)
4 . GENEROUS very good or generous in a way that people admire:
a great humanitarian gesture
5 . EXTREMELY SKILFUL famous for being able to do something extremely well:
Ali was undoubtedly one of the greatest boxers of all time.
a book about the lives of the great composers
6 . BIG written very big SYN huge :
A great crowd had gathered.
A great iron stove filled half the room.
7 . great big spoken very big:
Get your great big feet off my table!
8 . DOING SOMETHING A LOT used to emphasize that someone does something a lot
a great talker/reader/admirer etc
Anthony’s a great talker – sometimes you just can’t get a word in.
Len was a great believer in the power of positive thinking.
be a great one for doing something
She’s a great one for telling stories about her schooldays.
9 . to a greater or lesser extent used to emphasize that something is always true, even though it is more true or noticeable in some situations than others:
Most companies operate in conditions that are to a greater or lesser extent competitive.
10 . be no great shakes informal to not be very good, interesting, or skilful:
The work’s no great shakes, but at least I’m earning.
11 . be going great guns informal to be doing something extremely well:
After a slow start, the Tigers are going great guns.
12 . BAD spoken informal used when you are disappointed or annoyed about something:
‘Daniel’s cancelled the party.’ ‘Oh great!’
13 . ANIMAL/BIRD/PLANT ETC used in the names of some animals or plants, especially when they are bigger than other animals or plants of the same type:
the Great Crested Grebe
14 . the great outdoors informal the countryside, considered as enjoyable and healthy:
He had a taste for adventure and the great outdoors.
15 . great minds (think alike) spoken used humorously when you and another person have had the same idea
16 . the greater good a general advantage that you can only gain by losing or harming something that is considered less important:
Some wars are fought for the greater good.
17 . the great apes the different types of animals that are similar to large monkeys, considered as a group:
Alone of the great apes, the gorilla is not very efficient at using tools.
18 . the great divide a situation in which there is a big difference between groups in society, areas of a country etc, for example a big difference between their wealth or attitudes:
The great divide between north and south seems to be as unbridgeable as ever.
19 . Greater London/Los Angeles/Manchester etc London, Los Angeles etc and its outer areas
20 . huge/enormous great British English spoken used to emphasize how big something is
21 . great Scott!/great Heavens! spoken old-fashioned used to express shock or surprise
22 . great with child literary very soon to have a baby
—greatness noun [uncountable] :
She was destined for greatness.
II. great 2 BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ greatness , ↑ great ; adverb : ↑ greatly ; adjective : ↑ great ]
1 . [countable usually plural] a very successful and famous person in a particular sport, profession etc:
Jack Nicklaus is one of golf’s all-time greats.
I think his show’s OK, but I wouldn’t call him one of the greats.
2 . the great and the good people who are considered important – used humorously
• • •
THESAURUS
■ a very famous person
▪ superstar an extremely famous performer, especially a musician or film actor:
The film made Tom Cruise an international superstar.
▪ legend someone who is famous and admired for being extremely good at doing something – used especially about people who are at the end of a long career or who have died:
blues legend John Lee Hooker
|
Jane Fonda is the daughter of film legend Henry Fonda.
▪ great [usually plural] someone who was one of the best players or performers that there have ever been:
He was one of the all-time soccer greats.