great 1 S1 W1 / ɡreɪt / 形容词 ( comparative greater , superlative greatest )

1 large [通常用于名词前] 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 同义词 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) [通常用于名词前] 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 同义词 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 名词 [不可数名词] :

She was destined for greatness.