From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgoodgood1 /ɡʊd/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective (comparative better /ˈbetə $ -ər/, superlative best /best/) 1 of a high standardGOOD/EXCELLENT of a high standard or quality OPP bad, poor a good hotel good quality cloth The train service is not very good. My French is better than my Spanish. You’ll receive the best medical treatment. His qualifications aren’t good enough.► see thesaurus at bright2 skilfulGOOD AT able to do something well She’s a very good player. Do you know a good builder?good at (doing) something Alex is very good at languages. She’s good at making things.good with As a politician, you need to be good with words (=skilful at using words). He’s very good with people (=skilful at dealing with people).do/make a good job (of doing something) (=do something well) Mike’s done a good job of painting the windows.3 what you wantGOOD/EXCELLENT used about something that is what you want or happens in the way that you want OPP bad That’s good news! I need a bit of good luck.4 pleasant/enjoyableENJOY/LIKE DOING something pleasant and enjoyableit’s good to do something It’s good to see you again.have a good time/day/weekend etc Did you have a good vacation? That was good fun.5 successful/correctGOOD/EXCELLENT likely to be successful or correct She’s full of good ideas. Well, can you think of a better plan? What’s the best way to deal with this? The police have a pretty good idea who did it. I’m not sure, but I could make a good guess. 6 suitable suitable or convenient Is this a good time to talk to you? It was a good place to rest.good for (doing) something It’s a good day for going to the beach.be good for somebody especially American English Ten o'clock is good for me.7 useful useful or helpful OPP bad Do you want some good advice? The best thing you can do is wait here. You should make good use of your time.8 behaving wellPOLITE behaving well and not causing any trouble – used especially about a child SYN well-behaved OPP naughty She’s such a good baby. The kids were as good as gold (=very good). → be on your best behaviour at behaviour(2)9 making you healthy likely to make you healthy, either physically or mentally OPP badgood for Fresh fruit and vegetables are good for you. Watching too much TV isn’t good for you.good to eat/drink They have to learn which wild foods are good to eat.10 improving something likely to improve the condition of something OPP badgood for products that are good for the environment The publicity has been good for business.11 physically well [used especially in negatives and comparatives]HEALTHY healthy or well ‘How are you?’ ‘Better, thanks.’ Lyn’s not feeling too good today. 12 not damaged or weakGOOD/EXCELLENT if the condition of something is good, it is not damaged or weakin good condition/shape It’s in pretty good condition for an old car. Boris had always kept his body in good shape. The Chancellor announced that the economy is in good shape. Once the boat’s repaired, it’ll be as good as new (=in perfect condition).somebody’s good eye/arm/leg etc (=the one that is not damaged) He sat up, supporting himself on his good arm.13 kindKIND kind and understanding about what other people need or wantgood about Dad lent me the money. He was very good about it.it/that/this is good of somebody It was good of him to offer you a lift. The company’s always been very good to me.► see thesaurus at kind14 morally rightGOOD/MORAL behaving correctly or being right according to accepted moral standards OPP bad a good man I try to be good, but it isn’t always easy. Well, that’s my good deed for the day (=something good you try to do for someone else every day). I’m on the side of the good guys (=people who behave in a morally right way, for example in a film).15 largeLOT/LARGE NUMBER OR AMOUNT large in amount, size, range etc → goodish We’ve had a good crop of apples. There’s a good range of leisure facilities. I’d been waiting a good while (=a fairly long time). Our team has a good chance of winning (=is fairly likely to win).16 reasonable price a good price is reasonable and not expensive Thirty dollars sounds like a good price to me. 17 completely/thoroughlyCOMPLETE [only before noun] doing something for a long time, so that you do it completely and thoroughly You need a good rest. Take a good look at it. She sat down and had a good cry. This time he waited until he was good and ready (=completely ready).18 → a good deal19 → good value (for money)20 → good for something21 → a good three miles/ten years etc22 → as good as23 → a good few/many24 → too good to be true/to last25 → somebody’s too good for somebody26 → in your own good time27 → in good time (for something/to do something)28 → hanging/shooting etc is too good for somebody29 → as good a time/place etc as any30 → be as good as your word31 → a good word for somebody/something32 → be in somebody’s good books33 → have a good thing going34 → be onto a good thing35 → make good36 → make good a debt/loss etc37 → make good your escape38 → the good life39 → the good old days40 → good works41 → somebody’s good offices42 → good Samaritan43 → the good bookSPOKEN PHRASES44 → good45 → that’s good46 → (that’s a) good idea/point/question47 → good luck48 → good luck to him/them etc49 → good for somebody50 → it’s a good thing51 → that’s/it’s not good enough52 → be good and ready53 → that’s a good one54 → be good for a laugh55 → good old John/Karen etc56 → good grief/God/Lord/heavens/gracious!57 → good job58 → good girl/boy/dog etc59 → if you know what’s good for you60 → would you be good enough to do sth?61 → all in good time62 → have a good one63 → be good to go64 → be as good as it gets65 → it’s all good66 → very good67 → (jolly) good showUSAGE: Good, well• Good is an adjective in standard English. Well is an adverb:She's a good player.The team played well.• You will sometimes hear people say 'The team played good', especially in American English, but this is a non-standard use.• The comparative form of both good and well is better:His first book was better. We’ll play better next time. • The superlative form of both good and well is best:Who is the best singer? How could this best be achieved? THESAURUSgood of a high standard or qualityI’ve just read a really good book.My French is not very good.nice pleasant and enjoyable. Nice is very common in spoken English. In written English, it is better to use other wordsI hope you have a nice vacation.It will be nice to see you again.good quality/high quality well made from good materialsIf you buy good quality shoes, they last much longer.high-quality wallpapersfine used for describing things of a very high quality, or weather with no rain and clear skiesThe restaurant serves the finest food in Florence.If it’s fine tomorrow, we’ll go for a walk.neat American English spoken good – used when you like somethingThat’s a neat idea.They sell some really neat stuff.attractive an attractive offer, course of action etc seems good and makes you want to accept it or do itGoing home for dinner was a more attractive proposition than completing his run.Buying direct from the manufacturer seems the most attractive option.impressive something that is impressive is good in a way that makes people admire itan impressive achievementIt was a very impressive performance.extremely goodexcellent/superb extremely goodYour English is excellent.She’s a superb teacher.great/wonderful/terrific/fantastic especially spoken extremely goodIt’s a great film.Her cooking is wonderful.That’s a terrific idea!brilliant British English especially spoken extremely goodThe play was absolutely brilliant.amazing/incredible extremely good, in a surprising and exciting wayNew York is an amazing place.The skating has been incredible in this competition.beautiful/glorious used about weather that is very pleasant and sunnyIt’s a beautiful day.The weather was just glorious.outstanding/first-class/top-quality much better than other places, people etcan outstanding performanceThe service is always first-class.exceptional unusually goodOccasionally, we get a student with exceptional talent.a woman of exceptional beautyawesome especially American English informal very goodThe movie was awesome.be out of this world spoken to be extremely goodTheir chocolate cake is just out of this world!
Examples from the Corpus
good• Bye now Jessie. Be good.• Harry's work is always very good.• Noticing good behaviour Look actively for the good in your child.• Be a good boy and eat your vegetables.• On Sunday we rose early and after a good breakfast were eager to get out on the hills.• Andrea is a good cook.• Actually, every good family has a story of a spectacular plumbing disaster.• Frank had always been a good football player, and it was no surprise when he was chosen for the team.• "Why don't you write to your bank and ask for a loan?'' "That's a good idea.''• He had always tried to lead a good life.• He's a good little boy.• Good music seems to be a thing of the past.• Bates would be a good person to have on the team.• a good quality car• a good-sized house• Her early work is much better than her more recent stuff.• But a good time wasn't to be.• Everyone has the capability of making themselves something good to eat when they get home in the evening.• Did you have good weather in France?• good weather• Did you have a good weekend?• Have a good weekend!• Our best wishes to his family and friends.• a good woman• To Our Readers, Publications, like people, have good years and better years.• The more you practise the better you will become at selecting historical information to suit firstly your essay and secondly your argument.good enough• "Is that okay?" "Yeah, good enough."• Our revenue per employee is up 20 percent, but that is not nearly good enough.• It's just a cheap wine but it's good enough for a picnic.• He said six golf balls weren't good enough. He needed a minimum of nine.• Sometimes, if her argument seems good enough, let her persuade you.• If the weather's good enough next weekend we'll go camping.• It was the first time I was not good enough or I had some one thinking I was not good enough.• They've got a good enough sound, they're competent, but where's the imagination?• Do you think she's good enough to be in the team?• The bi-word filter eliminated some possibilities but was not good enough to find a single interpretation.• That was good enough to put him in the lead for the amateur half of the tournament.• Reports from Kampuchea claim that the country's 35,000-man army is good enough to stand up to Khmer Rouge incursions.• Therefore, it does not matter that your young are good enough to survive.good at (doing) something• The Funhouse Gang is very good at appearing busy.• It's very good at finding things.• Those that are particularly good at judging readiness to mate may wind up with a lot more offspring.• Apes, unfortunately, are not usually very good at mimicking human speech sounds.• She was good at sewing, and managed to make some clothes for me in the thinnest material available.• But those who are best at the game learn not to compartmentalize their lives but to fit it all together.• She liked to be good at things, and she was not good at dancing.• Our society values thinkers and is quite good at training thinkers. good news• They did a scan, and the cancer seems to be gone, so that's good news.• The incentives for industry and tax changes are also good news.• They respond and, quite automatically, more join in as each traveller returns with the good news.• What chance is there of its being good news?• As Ohio goes, so goes the nation, and that may be good news for President Clinton.• The good news is that all three of these lawsuits were unsuccessful.• The good news is that the figure was once 35 percent.• There was even better news on underlying inflation, which excludes mortgages.it’s good to do something• Broadly speaking, it's best to ask your local authority about whether any official approval is needed before going ahead.• It's better to feed and clothe and house the masses than to let them rot.• It's good to feel the firm ground underfoot after hours of trudging through flooded fields and over hedgerows in the darkness.• It's good to go dutch on power.• It's best to go with an organised group if you want to cycle or paddle your way through the area.• She says that it's good to have confirmation that penicillin does work against this form of the disease.• In areas of heavy traffic, like halls and stairs, it's best to lay a good quality, hardwearing carpet.• It's best to remove the key as quickly as possible, re-engaging it as necessary.good ideas• Leal also has good ideas about improving city tax collections.• If anything, good ideas are discredited by the fact that they come from here.• Often, it happens because good ideas bubble up from employees who actually do the work and deal with the customers.• The mind must be relaxed - the best ideas come out of silence.• But just getting out of the way of good ideas, important as it is, will not be enough.• But like so many good ideas on a yacht there is often a down-side not always appreciated.• All the good ideas put forward in these reports will serve only to elevate more people into the region of discontent.• Not all the good ideas that curriculum developers and academics come up with are daft or unrealistic. good time• He was having a whale of a good time.• Whatever Jack wanted to do or say he would do or say in his own good time.• Dimon has been loyal to Weill in good times and bad.• The weather was not too promising, but we made good time and were soon at the first terrace.• This is the best time of year for riding.• While she was having a good time, she asked for periodic updates on when the girls would get to leave.• With all the new and reintroduced varieties now on the market there has never been a better time to grow from seed.• I hope it all goes very well and that a good time will be had by all.good advice• The text details the methods used in the selected illustrations and is spiced with good advice and instruction.• It is not a process to be embarked upon without good advice and support.• Those who stop long enough to really listen will invariably give the best advice, if they give any at all.• For anyone building their first few projects the best advice is to avoid any mains powered project.• He found them enjoyable too and full of good advice on skin care.• Q: What is the best advice you ever received?• It was good advice you gave me.as good as gold• She's a fantastic girl, as good as gold. good for• Not much good for anything else.• So Princeton looked good for college until I met their pretentious admissions rep.• Life in Solano County had been good for him and Annette, he said.• This was good for his journalism.• The buffalo robes were good for keeping warm in carriages in northern cities.• The more physical the better for me.• The warranty for my stereo is good for one year.• Armed with inadequate information he usually fails to see why one moment is better for putting in a tack than any other.• She lost the first two babies, you know that, and she's always done her best for you.feeling ... good• But she's on her time and not feeling too good.• People smart enough to plunge into bond funds last year are probably feeling pretty good.• She swallowed the tablets and drained the mug, feeling a great deal better.• You leave the theater feeling better about everything.• I was feeling pretty good about my chances today, and then it was gone.• Alice returned a little half smile familiar to Mattie, conveying that she was feeling good and guilty about it too.• If people leave feeling it was good but rather long, you have failed.• When you've faced a serious illness, feeling better is the best feeling there is in the world.in good condition/shape• For your Musicman 212 cab and head, must be in good condition.• All of the houses are in good shape, and there should be no trouble.• Are they in good condition, especially those close to the house?• Milstead said he had to stay in good shape for the police department physical.• But he could pinpoint the fact that because he was in good shape, he survived.• This year, however, Dole appears in good shape in both locations. good about• Mom's good about lending people money when they need it.good guys• I think by and large we have a bunch of good guys.• Third, they are suddenly the good guys.• So there are good guys and bad guys in the heavens and there are sovereignties among both.• For me, we were the good guys and they were the bad guys.• If the good guys ban cloning humans, are we not inviting the bad guys to work on it offshore?• One of the good guys heading for the good life.• She, too, has tried to distance herself from what she does best, but the good guys need her.• The good guys often wear white hats in these old movies.• We are the good guys: we don't like violence, and we hate anger and aggression.a good while• They've been gone a good while.• Send it to one at a time and be prepared to wait a good while for a reply.• He was a good while making his mind up which club to hit.• For a good while, most of these senators, and others, knew only the voice of Ali on the phone.• It took us a good while to get to the location.• They sat up a good while, watching the stars swarm along the edge of the veranda roof. a good rest• He did not believe there was anything wrong with him that could not be cured by a good rest.• I hope everyone enjoyed a good rest.• I wished her a good rest. * Always the coach journey to the theatre was a silent one.• Go home and get a good rest tomorrow on your day off.• Chances of a good rest were soon dissipated.goodgooda) used to say that you are pleased about something Good. I’m glad that’s finished. ‘I got an A in biology, Mum.’ ‘Oh, good.’ b) used to tell someone that you think their work or what they are doing is good ‘Is the answer five?’ ‘Yes, good.’ → goodExamples from the Corpus
good• Keep your eye on the ball and follow through on your swing. Good!goodgood2 ●●● S3 W2 noun 1 → no good/not much good/not any good2 → it’s no good (doing something)3 → do some good/do somebody good4 → what’s the good of ...?/what good is ...?5 → for good6 → for the good of somebody/something7 [uncountable]GOOD/MORAL behaviour, attitudes, forces etc that are morally right She is definitely an influence for good on those boys. There’s a lot of good in him, in spite of his rudeness. the struggle between good and evil → do-gooder8 → be up to no good9 → the common/general good10 → be (all) to the good11 → three goals/£200 etc to the goodExamples from the Corpus
good• I just can't see any good in these people at all.• I can not help feeling that any good done might have been cancelled out by oil fires in the Gulf.• the battle between good and evil• Everyone has a choice between good and evil.• Do you agree with those who contend that capitalism is so individualistic that it fails to protect the collective good?• In spite of his rudeness, there's a lot of good in him.good and evil• I could not understand why men who knew all about good and evil could hate and kill each other.• The two tunes underline the conflict between good and evil.• I learn to see life as a titanic moral struggle between good and evil.• It's a classic tale about the struggle between good and evil.• There are no unchanging standards of what is good and evil.• More particularly, they are associated with the duality of good and evil.• The entire world was engulfed in a titanic struggle be-tween starkly drawn forces of good and evil.• At the core of Hampden Babylon is a titanic struggle between the forces of good and evil.• Beneath its denunciation of war and its apparent modernity there is the chauvinist roar of good and evil.goodgood3 adverb informal spoken especially American English RIGHT/PROPERwell. Many teachers think this is not correct English The business is doing good now. Listen to me good!Examples from the Corpus
doing good• He was more studious, more dedicated to doing good and doing more and leading.• Ethically directed, the potential for doing good is immense.• Labour is doing best on health among men, the middle-aged and readers of red-top newspapers.• They have committed themselves to doing good rather than doing well.• Above all, he says, parents are proud that their children are doing better than before.• Firms within the zones seem to have been doing better than equivalent companies elsewhere.• Heretofore, I had concentrated on doing good work in high-profile assignments.• If we did, wealthy folks would be spending a lot more of their time doing good works.From Longman Business Dictionarygoodgood /gʊd/ noun [singular]1ECONOMICS something that has been produced in order to be used or sold. The word is used in the singular form by economists, but not usually by ordinary peopleIn the real free market, the users bear the costs of a good or service.2be £10/$50 etc to the good to have £10, $50 etc more than before or to have made a profit of £10, $50 etcGuinness shares closed 6.5p to the good at 608.5p.Origin good1 Old English god 