great
adjective /ɡreɪt/
/ɡreɪt/
Idioms - (informal) 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 is great to do something It's great to see you again.
- great with somebody/something 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.’
- (ironic) Oh great, they left without us.
Synonyms greatgreat- cool
- fantastic
- fabulous
- terrific
- brilliant
- awesome
- epic
- great (informal) very good; giving a lot of pleasure:
- We had a great time in Madrid.
- cool (informal) used to show that you admire or approve of something, often because it is fashionable, attractive or different:
- I think their new song’s really cool.
- fantastic (informal) extremely good; giving a lot of pleasure:
- ‘How was your holiday?’ ‘Fantastic!’
- fabulous (informal) extremely good:
- Jane’s a fabulous cook.
- terrific (informal) extremely good; wonderful:
- She’s doing a terrific job.
- brilliant (British English, informal), extremely good; wonderful:
- ‘How was the show?’ ‘Brilliant!’
- awesome (informal, especially North American English) very good, impressive or great fun:
- The show was just awesome.
- epic (informal) very good, impressive or great fun:
- The adventure and action are truly epic in scope.
- to have a(n) great/cool/fantastic/fabulous/terrific/brilliant/awesome time
- to look/sound great/cool/fantastic/fabulous/terrific/brilliant/awesome
- really great/cool/fantastic/fabulous/terrific/brilliant/awesome
- absolutely great/fantastic/fabulous/terrific/brilliant/awesome/epic
Extra Examples- The food smells absolutely great.
- You're a great cook—this is delicious!
- That's really great news!
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- look
- …
- just
- really
- absolutely
- …
- 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.
- (ironic) 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.
Homophones grate | greatgrate great/ɡreɪt//ɡreɪt/- grate verb
- Grate the apples and carrots and add to the mixture.
- grate noun
- A small fire was burning in the grate.
- great adjective
- She is a young player with great potential.
Extra Examples- The play was a very great success.
- Don't worry. It's no great problem.
- They examined the figures in great detail.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- become
- very
- great big
- no great
- [usually before noun] 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.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- become
- very
- great big
- no great
- [only before noun] (informal) 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.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- become
- very
- great big
- no great
Which Word? big / large / greatbig / large / greatThese adjectives are frequently used with the following nouns:big ~ large ~ great ~ man numbers success house part majority car area interest boy room importance dog company difficulty smile eyes problem problem family pleasure surprise volume beauty question population artist difference problem surprise - Large is more formal than big and should be used in writing unless it is in an informal style. It is not usually used to describe people, except to avoid saying ‘fat’.
- Great often suggests quality and not just size. Note also the phrases:
- a large amount of
- a large number of
- a large quantity of
- a great deal of
- in great detail
- a person of great age.
- 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.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- really
- truly
- very
- …
- [only before noun] 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.
- 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
- 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!
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- look
- …
- just
- really
- absolutely
- …
- [not usually before noun] great at (doing) something (informal) able to do something well
- She's great at chess.
- (informal) very suitable or useful for something
- great for doing something This gadget's great for opening jars.
- great for something Try this cream—it's great for spots.
- [only before noun] 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.
- great-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)
- [only before noun] used in the names of animals or plants that are larger than similar kinds
- the great tit
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- become
- very
- great big
- no great
- Greaterused 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
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- become
- very
- great big
- no great
good
large
admired
important/impressive
with influence
in good health
skilled
useful
for emphasis
family
larger animals/plants
city name
Word OriginOld English grēat ‘big’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch groot and German gross.
Idioms
be going great guns
- (informal) to be doing something quickly and successfully
- Work is going great guns now.
be greater/more than the sum of its parts
- 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.
be a great one for (doing) something
- 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?
be no great shakes
- (informal) to be not very good, efficient, suitable, etc.
a good/great deal (of something)
- 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.
the great and the good (often ironic)
- people who are very successful, admired and respected
- Universities around the world award honorary degrees to the great and the good.
great and small
- of all sizes or types
- all creatures great and small
the great… in the sky
- (humorous) 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.
great minds think alike
- (informal, humorous) used to say that you and another person must both be very clever because you have had the same idea or agree about somethingTopics Opinion and argumentc2
great/tall oaks from little acorns grow
- (saying) something large and successful often begins in a very small wayTopics Successc2
take (great) pains (to do something) | go to great pains (to do something)
- to put a lot of effort into doing something
- The couple went to great pains to keep their plans secret.
take (great) pains with/over something
- to do something very carefully
- He always takes great pains with his lectures.