Tra từ great - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

great [great greats greater greatest] adjective, noun, adverb BrE [ɡreɪt] NAmE [ɡreɪt]
adjective (great·er, great·est)

LARGE
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. much more than average in degree or quantity
•a matter of great importance
• 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.
•Take great care of it.
•You've been a great help.
•We are all to a great extent the products of our culture.

ADMIRED
4. extremely good in ability or quality and therefore admired by many people
• 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.

GOOD
5. (informal)very good or pleasant
• He's a great bloke.
• It's great to see you again.
•What a great goal!
•We had a great time in Madrid.
•‘I'll pick you up at seven.’ ‘That'll be great, thanks.’
• (ironic)Oh great, they left without us.
•You've been a great help, I must say (= no help at all).

IMPORTANT/IMPRESSIVE
6. only before noun important and impressive
• The wedding was a great occasion.
• As the great day approached, she grew more and more nervous.
•The great thing is to get it done quickly.
•One great advantage of this metal is that it doesn't rust.

WITH INFLUENCE
7. 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 GOOD HEALTH
8. 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.

SKILLED
9. not usually before noun ~ at (doing) sth (informal)able to do sth well
•She's great at chess.

USEFUL
10. ~ for (doing) sth (informal)very suitable or useful for sth
•This gadget's great for opening jars.
•Try this cream— it's great for spots.

FOR EMPHASIS
11. only before noun used when you are emphasizing a particular description of sb/sth
• 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.

FAMILY
12. 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)

LARGER ANIMALS/PLANTS
13. only before noun used in the names of animals or plants which are larger than similar kinds
•the great tit

CITY NAME
14. 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
more at great/tall oaks from little acorns grow at ↑oak, take (great) pains (to do sth)go to great pains (to do sth)take (great) pains with/over sth at ↑pains, be greater/more than the sum of its parts at ↑sum _n.

Word Origin:
Old English grēat ‘big’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch groot and German gross.

Thesaurus:
great adj.
1. usually before noun
•A great crowd had gathered.
large • • big • • huge • • massive • • vast • • enormous • • tremendous • • immense • • extreme • • monumental • • substantial • • considerable •
Opp: small, Opp: little
a/an great/large/big/huge/massive/vast/enormous/tremendous/substantial/considerable amount
a/an great/large/big/huge/massive/vast/enormous/substantial/considerable area
a/an great/large/big/huge/massive/vast/enormous/substantial crowd
great/huge/massive/enormous/tremendous/immense/extreme/considerable pressure
Great, large or big? Compare
•a big man/house/car/boy/dog/smile
• (a) large numbers/part/volume/population
• great interest/importance/difficulty/pleasure
Large is slightly more formal than big and is used more in writing. It is not usually used to describe people, except to avoid saying ‘fat’. Great often suggests quality and not just size; it does not usually describe the physical size of objects or people.
2.
•She is one of the world's greatest cellists.
distinguished • • eminent • • prestigious • |formal humorous exalted •
Opp: minor
a/an great/distinguished/eminent scientist/painter/writer/historian/philosopher/professor
a great/distinguished/prestigious collection
a great/distinguished achievement/career/position
3. (informal)
•That was a great goal!
excellent • • classic • • superb • • tremendous • |informal fantastic • • fabulous • • terrific • |informal, spoken cool • |especially AmE, informal, spoken awesome • |BrE, informal, spoken brilliant • |slang wicked •
Opp: awful
have a/an great/tremendous/fantastic/fabulous/terrific/cool/awesome/brilliant time
a/an great/excellent/superb/tremendous/fantastic/terrific/awesome/brilliant achievement
a/an great/excellent/classic/superb/fantastic/fabulous/terrific/cool/brilliant goal
4. only before noun
•As the great day approached, she grew more and more nervous.
important • • significant • • momentous • |informal big •
a/an great/important/significant/momentous/big day
great/important/significant/momentous/big events/changes/developments
a/an great/important/significant/big difference/feature/achievement/success
5. (informal)
•He's great with the kids.
good • • capable • • talented • • gifted • • skilled • • impressive • • expert • • accomplished • |BrE skilful • |AmE skillful •
Opp: rotten
great/good/gifted/skilled/expert/accomplished/skilful at sth
great/good/gifted/skilled with sb/sth
a great/good/capable/talented/gifted/skilled/skilful teacher
a/an great/good/capable/talented/skilled/accomplished/skilful performer
a/an great/good/talented/gifted/skilled/accomplished/skilful player
6. (informal)
•This gadget's great for opening jars.
useful • • convenient • • practical • |informal handy •
Opp: rubbish
great/useful/convenient/handy for doing sth

Synonyms:
great
cool • fantastic • fabulous • terrific • brilliant • awesome
These are all informal words that describe sb/sth that is very good, pleasant, enjoyable, etc.
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 sth, 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. (Fabulous is slightly more old-fashioned than the other words in this set.)
terrific • (informal) extremely good; wonderful: ▪ She's doing a terrific job.
brilliant • (BrE, informal) extremely good; wonderful: ▪ ‘How was the show?’ ‘Brilliant!’
awesome • (informal, especially NAmE) very good, impressive, or enjoyable: ▪ The show was just awesome.
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

Synonyms:
big / large / great
These adjectives are frequently used with the following nouns:

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.

Example Bank:
•Don't worry. It's no great problem.
•He was a truly great man.
•That's really great news!
•The food smells absolutely great.
•The play was a very great success.
•There's a great big hole in this sleeve.
•You're looking great. Marriage must suit you!
•‘I'll pick you up at seven.’ ‘That'd be great, thanks.’
•(a) great success/majority/interest/importance/difficulty/problem/pleasure/beauty/surprise.
•Everyone's in great form.
•He has been described as the world's greatest violinist.
•He's great with the kids.
•It's great to see you again.
•Oh, great! They left without us!
•One great advantage of this metal is that it doesn't rust.
•She seemed in great spirits.
•She's great at chess.
•That was a great goal!
•The great majority of people seem to agree with this view.
•The great thing is to get it done quickly.
•This is a matter of great importance.
•We are all to a great extent the products of our culture.
•You're a great cook— this is delicious!
•You've been a great help, I must say.
•a great deal of sth
•a person of great age
•in great detail
•the great powers
Idioms: ↑a great one for something ▪ ↑going great guns ▪ ↑great and small ▪ ↑great minds think alike ▪ ↑great … in the sky ▪ ↑no great shakes
Derived Word: ↑greatness

noun usually plural (informal)
a very well-known and successful person or thing
• He was one of boxing's all-time greats.

Word Origin:
Old English grēat ‘big’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch groot and German gross.

Example Bank:
•He was one of boxing's all-time greats.

adverb (informal, non-standard)
very well
• Well done. You did great.

Word Origin:
Old English grēat ‘big’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch groot and German gross.