great

great

I

great¹ S1 W1 /ɡreɪt/ adjective (comparative greater, superlative greatest)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

great² noun1. [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.