1
a(1)
: of a favorable character or tendency
good news
(3)
: handsome, attractive
good looks
(2)
: free from injury or disease
one good arm
(3)
: not depreciated
bad money drives out good
(4)
: commercially sound
a good risk
(5)
: that can be relied on
good for another year
good for a hundred dollars
always good for a laugh
(6)
: profitable, advantageous
made a very good deal
d(1)
: of a noticeably large size or quantity : considerable
won by a good margin
a good bit of the time
(2)
: full
waited a good hour
(3)
—used as a word that gives force or emphasis to a statement
a good many of us
e(1)
: well-founded, cogent
good reasons
(2)
: true
holds good for society at large
(3)
: deserving of respect : honorable
in good standing
(4)
: legally valid or effectual
good title
f(1)
: adequate, satisfactory
good care
—often used in faint praisehis serve is only good—
Frank Deford
Frank Deford
(2)
: conforming to a standard
good English
(3)
: liking only things that are of good quality : choice, discriminating
good taste
(4)
: containing less fat and being less tender than higher grades
—used of meat and especially of beef
g
sports
(1)
of a serve or shot
: landing in the proper area of the court in tennis and similar games
The serve was good.
(2)
of a shot or kick
: successfully done
(basketball) The first foul shot was good but she missed the second one.
(American football) The kick was good from 45 yards.
The kick was no good. [=was missed]
h
informal
: having everything desired or required : content and not wanting or needing to do anything further
"Do you want anything else to drink?" "No thanks, I'm good."
"I have had girlfriends say, 'Hey, you wanna go walking?' And I'm just not interested. I'm like 'Uh, no, I'm good.' But they keep inviting me!"—Laila Ali
Laila Ali2
a(1)
: virtuous, right, commendable
a good person
good conduct
(2)
: kind, benevolent
good intentions
b
: upper-class
a good family
e
: free from infirmity or sorrow
I feel good
Good vs. Well: Usage Guide
An old notion that it is wrong to say "I feel good" in reference to health still occasionally appears in print. The origins of this notion are obscure, but they seem to combine someone's idea that good should be reserved to describe virtue and uncertainty about whether an adverb or an adjective should follow feel. Today nearly everyone agrees that both good and well can be predicate adjectives after feel. Both are used to express good health, but good may connote good spirits in addition to good health.
1
2
a
: advancement of prosperity or well-being
the good of the community
it's for your own good
b
: something useful or beneficial
it's no good trying
3
a
: something that has economic utility or satisfies an economic want
b
goods
ˈgu̇dz 
plural
: personal property having intrinsic value but usually excluding money, securities, and negotiable instruments
plural
: personal property having intrinsic value but usually excluding money, securities, and negotiable instruments
c
d
e
4
: good persons
—used with the
5
goods plural
a
: the qualities required to achieve an end
b
: proof of wrongdoing
didn't have the goods on him—T. G. Cooke
T. G. Cooke1
: well
he showed me how good I was doing—Herbert Gold
Herbert Gold2
—used as an intensive
a good long time
Good vs. Well: Usage Guide
Adverbial good has been under attack from the schoolroom since the 19th century. Insistence on well rather than good has resulted in a split in connotation: well is standard, neutral, and colorless, while good is emotionally charged and emphatic. This makes good the adverb of choice in sports.
"I'm seeing the ball real good" is what you hear
—Roger Angell
Roger Angell
In such contexts as
listen up. And listen good
—Alex Karras
Alex Karras
lets fly with his tomatoes before they can flee. He gets Clarence good
—Charles Dickinson
Charles Dickinson
good cannot be adequately replaced by well. Adverbial good is primarily a spoken form; in writing it occurs in reported and fictional speech and in generally familiar or informal contexts.
Phrases
as good as
: in effect : virtually
as good as dead
1
: of the highest worth or reliability
his promise is as good as gold
2
: well-behaved
the child was as good as gold
\
for good
or less commonly for good and all
: forever, permanently
She's gone for good.
: in a favored position with
1
: for the best : beneficial
efforts to restrict credit were all to the good—Time
Time2
: in a position of net gain or profit
wound up $10 to the good
Examples of good in a Sentence
Adjective
You'll need better tools for this job.
The car is in good condition.
There are some good restaurants in this neighborhood.
I'm afraid your work is just not good enough.
Keep up the good work.
“Would you hire her again?” “Yes, I would. She does good work.”
The food was good but not great.
He has done good but not outstanding work.
Did you have a good time at the party?
We're expecting good weather for the weekend.
Noun
the battle of good versus evil
Teachers can be a strong force for good.
the difference between good and bad
They had to sacrifice lesser goods for greater ones.
What is life's highest good?
Parents must teach their children the difference between the good and the bad.
She believes that the good go to heaven when they die and the bad go to hell.
Only the good die young.
She believes there is some good in everyone.
Adverb
Things have been going good lately.
The team is doing good this year.
“How did you hit the ball today?” “Good.”
The other team whipped us good.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
Okay, top-10 best movie entrance of all time for Blake Lively.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 26 Apr. 2025
Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 26 Apr. 2025
Vermont is home to environmentally-friendly outdoor adventures and also to world-class artists, collectors, makers and purveyors of myriad remarkable goods.
—Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 May 2024
Ethics and dangers are obvious concerns, but it shouldn’t be overlooked that AI has the potential to do profound good beyond pithy conversation with some chatbot.
—Steven Aquino, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for good
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
The forthcoming rain was good news for crews battling a wildfire in central New Jersey that erupted on April 22 and has consumed 12,250 acres.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
Okay, top-10 best movie entrance of all time for Blake Lively.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 26 Apr. 2025
Noun
The port plays a key role in trade in the country and is responsible for the vast majority of loading and unloading of goods in Iranian ports.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 26 Apr. 2025
Vermont is home to environmentally-friendly outdoor adventures and also to world-class artists, collectors, makers and purveyors of myriad remarkable goods.
—Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Adverb
Ours is set in a modern world while subverting the audiences expectations given the character has personified good since its inception.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 May 2024
Ethics and dangers are obvious concerns, but it shouldn’t be overlooked that AI has the potential to do profound good beyond pithy conversation with some chatbot.
—Steven Aquino, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for good
Cite this Entry
“Good.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/good. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
good
1 of 3 adjective1
a
: of a favorable character or tendency
good news
b
: fertile sense 1
good land
c
: handsome sense 3, attractive
good looks
d
: agreeable sense 1, pleasant
a good place to live
e
: suitable sense 1, fit
good to eat
a remedy good for a cold
f
: reliable
a good friend in a pinch
g
: sound entry 1 sense 1a
one good arm
2
a
: certain to last or live
good for another year
b
: certain to provide or produce
always good for a laugh
3
a
: of a noticeably large size or quantity
present in good numbers
b
: full entry 1 sense 2a
waited a good hour
4
a
: based on sound reasoning, information, judgment, or grounds
good reasons
b
: true entry 1 sense 2
holds good for society as a whole
c
: deserving of respect or honor
a member in good standing
d
: legally valid
has a good title
5
a
: adequate sense 1, satisfactory
good care
b
: conforming to a standard
good English
c
: showing or favoring high quality
good taste
6
b
: right entry 1 sense 2
good conduct
c
: kind entry 2 sense 1, benevolent
good intentions
d
: being of the upper class
of good family
e
: skillful sense 1
a good doctor
f
: loyal sense 2
a good party member
goodness
noun
good
2 of 3 noun1
: something good, useful, or desirable
health and prosperity are goods
2
: benefit entry 1 sense 1a, welfare
the good of the community
3
plural
: cloth sense 1
4
plural
: manufactured articles or products of art or craft
5
: good persons
—used with the
6
plural
: proof of wrongdoing
got the goods on them
good
3 of 3 adverbLegal Definition
good
1 of 2 adjective
better; best
1
: commercially sound or reliable
a good risk
2
a
: valid or effectual under the law
b
: free of defects
3
a
: characterized by honesty and fairness
b
: conforming to a standard of virtue
shall hold their offices during good behavior—U.S. Constitution art. III
U.S. Constitution art. III
also
: characterized by or relating to good behavior
good
2 of 2 noun1
: advancement of prosperity and well-being
for the good of the community
2
: an item of tangible movable personal property having value but usually excluding money, securities, and negotiable instruments
—usually used in pl.
: as
a
plural
: all things under section 2-103 of the Uniform Commercial Code that are movable at the time of identification to the contract for sale other than information, the money that is to be paid, investment securities, the subject matter of foreign exchange transactions, and choses in action
b
plural
: all things under section 9-102 of the Uniform Commercial Code that are movable at the time that a security interest in them attaches or that are fixtures but excluding money, documents, instruments, accounts, chattel paper, general intangibles, commercial tort claims, deposit accounts, investment property, letter-of-credit rights, letters of credit, and minerals or the like before extraction
—
consumer goods
: goods purchased primarily for personal, family, or household uses
—
fungible goods
: goods of which any unit is by nature or by usage of trade the equivalent of any other like unit especially as defined by section 1-201 of the Uniform Commercial Code
—
future goods
: goods that are the subject of a contract but are not yet existing or specified
—
hard goods
: durable goods in this entry
—
household goods
: goods used in connection with the home
specifically
: furniture, furnishings, and personal effects used in a dwelling as defined by section 7-209 of the Uniform Commercial Code
—
mobile goods
: goods as formerly defined in section 9-103 of the Uniform Commercial Code that are mobile, are of a type (as vehicles) usually used in more than one jurisdiction, are not covered by a certificate of title, and are either the equipment of a debtor or inventory leased by a debtor
—
ordinary goods
: goods as formerly defined by section 9-103 of the Uniform Commercial Code that are anything other than those covered by a certificate of title, mobile goods, or minerals
—
producer goods
: goods (as tools and raw materials) used to produce other goods and satisfy human wants only indirectly
—
soft goods
: consumer goods that are not durable goods
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share