Great I Good ɡreɪt People Deal Time Greatest

• he's a great bloke.
• what a great goal!
• we had a great time in madrid.
• you should have come along. it was great fun.

great

1. very good or pleasant
• He's a great bloke.
• What a great goal!
• We had a great time in Madrid.
• You should have come along. It was great fun.
• You've done a great job.
• I think that's a great idea.
• It's a great way to meet new people.
• New Zealand is a great place to live.
• This is a great opportunity for us.
• He missed a great chance to score in the final minutes of the match.
• It's great to see you again.
• He's great with the kids.
• ‘Why don't we order a pizza?’ ‘That sounds great.’
• ‘I'll pick you up at seven.’ ‘That'll be great, thanks.’
• Oh great, they left without us.

Extra Examples

• The food smells absolutely great.
• You're a great cook—this is delicious!
• That's really great news!
2. much more than average in degree or quantity
• This is a matter of great importance.
• The lack of clean drinking water is of great concern.
• The concert had been a great success.
• Her death was a great shock to us all.
• It gives me great pleasure to welcome you here today.
• We will be following his progress with great interest.
• one of the greatest challenges facing the world today
• These women represent a group at greater risk of developing particular cancers.
• Take great care of it.
• You've been a great help.
• You've been a great help, I must say (= no help at all).
• We are all to a great extent the products of our culture.
• The problem is treated in great detail in the book.

Extra Examples

• The play was a very great success.
• Don't worry. It's no great problem.
• They examined the figures in great detail.
3. very large; much bigger than average in size or quantity
• A great crowd had gathered.
• People were arriving in great numbers.
• The great majority of (= most) people seem to agree with this view.
• He must have fallen from a great height.
• She lived to a great age.
4. used to emphasize an adjective of size or quality
• There was a great big pile of books on the table.
• He cut himself a great thick slice of cake.
• There's a great big hole in this sleeve.
5. extremely good in ability or quality and therefore admired by many people
• Gary Kasparov, undoubtedly the greatest chess player of all time
• He has been described as the world's greatest violinist.
• Sherlock Holmes, the great detective
• Great art has the power to change lives.
• This represents a great achievement.
• He was a truly great man.
6. important and impressive
• The wedding was a great occasion.
• This is a great day for the city of Chicago.
• The great thing is to get it done quickly.
• One great advantage of this metal is that it doesn't rust.
7. having high status or a lot of influence
• the great powers (= important and powerful countries)
• We can make this country great again.
• Alexander the Great
8. in a very good state of physical or mental health
• She seemed in great spirits (= very cheerful).
• I feel great today.
• I don’t feel too great.
• Everyone's in great form.
• You're looking great. Marriage must suit you!
9. able to do something well
• She's great at chess.
10. very suitable or useful for something
• This gadget's great for opening jars.
• Try this cream—it's great for spots.
11. used when you are emphasizing a particular description of somebody/something
• We are great friends.
• I've never been a great reader (= I do not read much).
• She's a great talker, isn't she?
• I am a great admirer of your work.
12. added to words for family members to show a further stage in relationship
• my great-aunt (= my father’s or mother’s aunt)
• her great-grandson (= the grandson of her son or daughter)
• my great-great-grandfather (= the grandfather of my grandfather)
13. used in the names of animals or plants that are larger than similar kinds
• the great tit
14. used with the name of a city to describe an area that includes the centre of the city and a large area all round it
• Greater London
15. to be doing something quickly and successfully
• Work is going great guns now.
16. to be better or more effective as a group than you would think just by looking at the individual members of the group
• The team is greater than the sum of its parts.
17. to do something a lot; to enjoy something
• He's never been a great one for keeping in touch.
• You're a great one for quizzes, aren't you?
18. to be not very good, efficient, suitable, etc.
19. much; a lot
• She's feeling a good deal better.
• We don't see them a great deal (= often) these days.
• They spent a great deal of money.
• A good deal of research has been done on the subject.
20. people who are very successful, admired and respected
• Universities around the world award honorary degrees to the great and the good.
21. of all sizes or types
• all creatures great and small
22. used to refer to where a particular person is imagined to go when they die or a thing when it is no longer working, similar to the place they were connected with on earth
• Their pet rabbit had gone to the great rabbit hutch in the sky.
23. used to say that you and another person must both be very clever because you have had the same idea or agree about something
24. something large and successful often begins in a very small way
25. to put a lot of effort into doing something
• The couple went to great pains to keep their plans secret.
26. to do something very carefully
• He always takes great pains with his lectures.

Word Origin

• Old English grēat ‘big’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch groot and German gross.