Definition of “good” - English Dictionary

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“good” in English

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goodadjective

uk ​ /ɡʊd/ us ​ /ɡʊd/ better, best

good adjective (PLEASANT/SATISFACTORY)

A1 very satisfactory, enjoyable, pleasant, or interesting:

a good book
Did you have a good time at the party?
The weather has been really good for the time of year.
I've just had some very good news.
It's so good to see you after all this time!

› used in greetings:

good morning/afternoon/evening

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good adjective (HEALTHY)

A1 healthy or well:

I didn't go into work because I wasn't feeling too good.
"How's your mother?" "She's good, thanks."
I'm good informal

› used as a general reply when someone greets you:

"How are you doing?" "I'm good, thanks."

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good adjective (HIGH QUALITY)

A1 of a high quality or level:

She speaks very good French.
I've heard it's a very good school.
The apple pie was as good as the one my grandmother used to make.
This restaurant has a good reputation.

› used to express praise:

Good man! Splendid catch.

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good adjective (SUCCESSFUL)

A1 successful, or able to do something well:

Kate's a good cook.
She's very good at geography.
They have a good relationship.
She's very good with children.
be no good also be not any/much good

B2 to be of low quality or not useful:

Shoes are no good if they let in water.
Food aid isn't much good until the fighting stops.
get off to a good start

› to begin an activity successfully:

I didn't get off to a very good start this morning - I'd been at work five minutes and my computer stopped working!

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good adjective (KIND)

A1 kind or helpful:

a good friend
It's good of you to offer to help.
He's very good to his mother.
be so good as to also be good enough to formal

› used to make a polite request:

Be so good as to close the door when you leave.
do (sb) a good turn old-fashioned

› to do something kind that helps someone else

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good adjective (MORALLY RIGHT)

B1 morally right or based on religious principles:

She led a good life.
Try to set a good example to the children.

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good adjective (POSITIVE)

A1 having a positive or useful effect, especially on the health:

Make sure you eat plenty of good fresh food.
Too much sugar in your diet isn't good for you.
It's good for old people to stay active if they can.

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good adjective (BEHAVIOUR)

A2 A good child or animal behaves well:

If you're a good boy at the doctor's, I'll take you swimming afterwards.

› able to be trusted:

Her credit is good (= she can be trusted to pay her debts).

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good adjective (LARGE)

C1 [ before noun ] used to emphasize the large number, amount, or level of something:

We've walked a good distance today.
There was a good-sized crowd at the airport waiting for the plane to land.
Not all of his movies have been successful - there were a good few (= several) failures in the early years.
You'll need a good length of rope to secure this properly.
You have a good cry and you'll feel better after.
There's a good chance the operation will be successful.
See also
good money
a good deal of

B2 much:

The new law met with a good deal of opposition at the local level.
a good ... C2 also a good ...'s

› more than:

It's a good half hour's walk to the station from here.
The police said a good 20 kilos of explosive were found during the raid.
Driving through the deserted town we saw a good many (= a lot of) burned-out houses.

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good adjective (SATISFACTION)

A1 said when you are satisfied or pleased about something, or to show agreement with a decision:

Oh good, he's arrived at last.
Good, I'll tell her it's all arranged, then.
I'm good

› used to tell someone that you have everything that you need:

"More coffee?" "No, I'm good, thanks."

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Grammar

Good at, bad atWe use adjective + at to talk about things that we do well or badly: …

Idiom(s)

be a good
all in good time
as good as
be (as) good as gold
be (as) good as new
be as good as your word
be good for sth
be good to go
be good, and if you can't be good, be careful
for good measure
good and ...
good and proper
good for you!
good heavens/grief/gracious!
the good old days
good show
have a good innings
in good faith
in good time
make good
make good on sth
make good time

goodnoun

uk ​ /ɡʊd/ us ​ /ɡʊd/

good noun (THINGS)

goods [ plural ]

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B1 things for sale, or the things that you own:

There is a 25 percent discount on all electrical goods until the end of the week.
The house insurance will not cover your personal goods.

› UK things, but not people, that are transported by railway or road:

a goods train

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good noun (HEALTH)

› [ U ] the state of being healthy or in a satisfactory condition:

You should stop smoking for your own good (= for your health).
He goes running every day for the good of his health.
Modernizing historic buildings can often do more harm than good.
The decision has been postponed for the good of all concerned.
Synonym
benefit
do sb good

B2 to improve someone's health or life:

You can't work all the time - it does you good to go out and enjoy yourself sometimes.
Take the medicine - it will do you (a power/world of) good (= improve your health a lot).

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Grammar

Noun phrases: premodifiers (big, good, red)Premodifiers consist of single adjectives, adjective phrases, single nouns and noun phrases which are used before the head in a noun phrase. …
Always: meaningAlways can mean ‘on every occasion’, ‘forever’ or ‘very frequently’. In these meanings we use it with simple tense forms: …
Always with continuous verb formsWe can use always with continuous verb forms to refer to regular events or states, especially ones which are problematic or which we do not like or want: …
Always: positionWe most commonly use always in mid position, between the subject and main verb, after the modal verb or first auxiliary verb, or after main verb be: …
Always with can and couldWe often use always with can and could to talk about possible solutions to problems: …
As alwaysWe use as always to talk about one event which is seen as typical: …
Always, for good or for ever?When we talk about things which will be permanent, we normally use for good, or, more formally, for ever (sometimes written as forever). We do not normally say for always: …

Idiom(s)

be up to no good
come up with the goods
no good
to the good
what good is ...

(Definition of “good” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“good” in American English

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goodadjective

us ​ /ɡʊd/

good adjective (SATISFACTORY)

› comparative better /ˈbet̬·ər/ , superlative best /best/ of a kind that is pleasing or enjoyable, or of high quality:

Let’s go on a picnic tomorrow if the weather’s good.
That was a really good meal.
Dogs have a very good sense of smell.
Now would be a good time (= a suitable time) to talk to Andy about the promotion.
He’s a good (= able and skillful) swimmer.
Did they have a good time on their vacation?
She makes good money (= earns a high income) in her new job.

good adjective (MORALLY RIGHT)

› comparative better /ˈbet̬·ər/ , superlative best /best/ morally right or admirable:

José is a genuinely good person.
If you’re a good boy (= if you behave well) at the dentist, I’ll buy you some ice cream later.
He’s always been good to his mother.

› comparative better /ˈbet̬·ər/ , superlative best /best/ Good can be used as part of an exclamation:

Good heavens! You mean they still haven’t arrived?

good adjective (WITH GREETING)

› [ not gradable ] used in greetings

good adjective (FOR HEALTH)

› comparative better /ˈbet̬·ər/ , superlative best /best/ useful for health, or in a satisfactory condition:

Make sure you eat plenty of good, fresh vegetables.

good adjective (LARGE)

› [ not gradable ] large in number or amount:

We had to walk a good way in the airport to reach our gate.
There was a good-sized crowd on hand.
There was a good deal of (= a lot of) discussion about how much the car was worth.
good
noun [ U ] us ​ /ɡʊd/

›

Even a small donation can do a lot of good.

Idiom(s)

a good
a good many
good and
(as) good as new
good for someone
good riddance
(it’s a) good thing
no good

(Definition of “good” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“good” in Business English

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goodnoun [ S ]

uk ​ /ɡʊd/ us ​ ECONOMICS

› a product that is made to be sold:

The demand for a good influences its price.
See also
economic good
goods
Compare
commodity

(Definition of “good” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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good

We also think it is right that those who work their land in accordance with good farming practice should receive a liability privilege.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
The reform we are now studying must be developed, to enable information facilitating multiannual comparisons to be made available to the monitoring bodies in good time.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Globalisation is happening, and what matters is that we make good use of the opportunities with which it presents us and minimise its risks, across both hemispheres.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Despite its few tentative good points, the signal you are sending out by means of this directive is the wrong one, and it is being sent at the wrong time.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
We do not want a ban; a woman must be able to decide for herself in good faith whether she wants breast implants or not.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
That, eventually, was the good news.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
He has displayed a great deal of commitment to his report and once again this has borne fruit in the form of a good report.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
What they told us makes good sense.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
How will they be able to cope with the enormous sums of money they receive and how can they see to it that good projects are submitted?
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Despite the fact that matters may be rather chaotic to begin with, something extremely good will emerge if we only have patience.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English

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What a lovely dress! Paying and accepting compliments.

by Liz Walter,

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