Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

good

2 noun
     
good2
1

no good/not much good/not any good

a) not useful or suitable:
One lesson's not much good - you need five or six.
'I could come next week.' 'That's no good. I'll be away.'
no good/not much good/not any good for
The land here isn't any good for agricultural crops.
no good/not much good/not any good to
You're no good to me if you can't drive a car.
b) of a low standard or level of ability:
The movie wasn't much good.
Is the new headteacher any good?
no good at (doing) something
I'm no good at speaking in public.
c) morally bad:
Stay away from Jerry - he's no good.
2

it's no good (doing something)

used to say that an action will not achieve what it is intended to achieve:
It's no good telling him - he won't listen.
3

do some good/do somebody good

to have a useful effect:
She works for a small charity where she feels she can do some good.
I'll talk to him but I don't think it will do any good.
A bit more exercise would do you good.

➔ do more harm than good

at harm1 (1)
4

what's the good of...?/what good is...?

used to say that it is not worth doing or having something in a particular situation:
What's the good of buying a boat if you're too busy to use it?
What good is money when you haven't any friends?
5

for good

permanently:
The injury may keep him out of football for good.
6

for the good of somebody/something

in order to help someone or improve a situation:
We must work together for the good of the community.
Take the medicine - it's for your own good!
7 [uncountable] 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-gooder
8

be up to no good

informal to be doing or planning something wrong or dishonest:
Those guys look like they're up to no good.
9

the common/general good

formal the advantage of everyone in society or in a group:
countries united for the common good
10

be (all) to the good

used to say that something that happens is good, especially when it is in addition to or as the result of something else:
If further improvements can be made, that would be all to the good.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary