
go | go: v. 1 move (ahead or forward or onwards), proceed, advance, pass, make headway, travel, voyage, set off, tour, trek, wend, stir, budge: Would you go to the market for me? 2 leave, depart, go out, move (out or away), decamp, make off, withdraw, repair, retire, retreat, Colloq take off: I wish he would go at once. She went to her country cottage for the weekend. 3 function, operate, work, run, perform: I cannot get the engine to go properly. 4 lead, open to, give access to, communicate to or with, connect with or to: Where does this door go? 5 lead, communicate with, run: Does this road go to Oxford? 6 fit, belong (together), agree or conform (with each other), harmonize, blend, match, be appropriate or suitable (for or to), complement each other: These colours don''t go. 7 become: He went mad when he learnt about the accident. 8 fit, extend, reach, span, stretch: My belt would never go round your waist! 9 be disposed of or discarded or thrown away, be dismissed, be got rid of or abolished, be given up, be cast or set or put aside, be done with: That out-dated computer has to go. 10 disappear (without a trace), vanish (into thin air), evaporate: Where has all the money gone? 11 pass, elapse, slip or tick away, fly: Time goes quickly when you''re having fun. 12 fail, fade, decline, flag, weaken, degenerate, wear out, give (out); give way, collapse, fall or come or go to pieces, disintegrate, crack: I''m afraid the tyres are going. When that last support goes, the roof will come down. 13 die, expire, be gone, meet one''s Maker, pass on or away, shuffle off this mortal coil, go to one''s reward, go to the happy hunting-grounds, go to that great cricket-pitch in the sky, Slang kick the bucket, snuff it: By the time the doctor arrived, Graham had gone. 14 sound, pronounce, enunciate, articulate, say, utter: And this little pig goes ''Wee, wee, wee'', all the way home. 15 survive, last (out), endure, live, continue: How long can we go without water? 16 be used up or consumed or finished: The last of our food was gone. 17 go to the toilet or the lavatory or the bathroom, move (one''s) bowels, urinate, defecate, Slang pee, take a leak or a crap, Chiefly Brit go to the loo, Chiefly US go to the john, Taboo slang (take a) piss or shit: We stopped at a motorway filling station because Jane had to go. 18 go about. approach, tackle, set about, undertake, begin, start: I don''t like the way she goes about her work. How does one go about establishing a business? 19 go ahead. proceed, continue, move or go forward, advance, progress, go on: She told me I could go ahead with the scheme. The policeman motioned to go ahead. 20 go along (with). a escort, accompany: We asked if we could go along with them to the cinema. b agree (to), concur (with), acquiesce (to), assent (to), support: Beverly would never go along with a plan like yours. 21 go around or about or round (with). a move or go around, circulate: I wish he''d stop going round telling everyone about me. There''s a lot of flu going around. b socialize (with), frequent or seek the company of, spend time with, associate with, Colloq hang around or about (with), hang out (with): The boy is going around with that Collins girl. c wander or move around: He goes about picking through rubbish bins. 22 go at. attack, assault, assail: We went at the enemy with all the fire power we could muster. 23 go away. go (off), leave, depart, withdraw, exit; retreat, recede, decamp: The clouds went away and the sun came out. We are going away for the weekend. 24 go back (to). a return (to); revert (to), change back (to): He went back to his old job after the war. Can we go back to the way things were before we were married? b originate (in), begin or start (with), date back (to): Our friendship goes back to our childhood. 25 go back on. renege (on), break, retract, repudiate, forsake: She''s gone back on our agreement. 26 go by. a pass (by), go past, move by; elapse: We used to watch the goods trains go by. The months went by quickly since our last meeting. b rely or count or depend or bank on, put faith in(to), be guided by, judge from: You cannot go by what Atherton tells you. 27 go down. a sink, go under, founder, submerge: The ship went down within minutes of striking the mine. b decrease, decline, drop, sink, drop: The Nikkei Index went down 200 points. c fall, be defeated or beaten, suffer defeat, lose, collapse: Our forces went down under an onslaught from the attacking armies. d be remembered or memorialized, or recalled or commemorated or recorded: That day of infamy will go down in history. e find favour or acceptance or approval, be accepted: His ideas have not gone down well with the council. 28 go for. a fetch, obtain, get: Please go for help. b apply or relate to, concern, involve: The rule against smoking goes for you, too, Smedley. c fancy, favour, like, admire, be attracted to, prefer, choose, Slang dig: I can tell that Peter really goes for Maria. I could go for a pint of beer right now. d attack, assault, assail, set upon: The dog went for him as soon as he opened the gate. e set one''s sights on, aim for, focus attention or effort(s) on: I decided to risk all and go for Drogheda Boy at 100-8. 29 go in for. a enter, enrol, start, begin, embark on, pursue, take up, embrace, espouse, undertake, follow, adopt, go into, US go out for: He is going in for a career in boxing. b like, fancy, favour, practise, do, engage in: I don''t go in for mountain-climbing. 30 go into. a See 28 (a), above. b delve into, examine, pursue, investigate, analyse, probe, scrutinize, inquire into, study: I want to go into the subject of your absences with you, Fanshawe. c touch on, discuss, mention: I should avoid going into the subject of money with Pauline if I were you. 31 go off. a go out, cease to function: I saw the lights go off at nine. b explode, blow up, detonate, erupt; fire, be discharged: The bomb is set to go off in an hour. The gun went off, killing the mouse. c occur, happen, take place: The conference went off as planned. d depart, leave, go (away), set out, exit, decamp, quit: She went off without another word. e Brit deteriorate, rot, moulder, go stale, go bad, spoil, sour, turn: After two days the milk goes off. f Usually, go off into. start or break into or out in: He goes off into gales of laughter whenever I mention your name. 32 go on. a continue, proceed, keep on, carry on; persist, last, endure, persevere: He went on coughing all night long. The party went on into the small hours. b happen, occur, take place, come about, Colloq come off: I have always wondered what went on in there. c come on, begin or resume functioning: The lights went on at midnight. d enter, make an entrance: She doesn''t go on till the third act. e going on. approaching, nearing, nearly, almost, not quite: He''s six going on seven. It''s going on eight o''clock. f gabble, chatter, drone on, Brit natter, Colloq Brit witter (on), rabbit on: He goes on endlessly about his cars. g rely or depend on, use: The detective had very little to go on. 33 go out. a fade or die (out), expire, cease functioning, go off, be extinguished: The lights went out, throwing the room into Stygian blackness. b depart, leave, exit: He went out at six and has not been seen since. c socialize, associate; court, go together, Brit walk out, US date: Harry is going out with Annabel. 34 go over. a review, skim (through or over), go through, scan, look at, read, study; inspect, examine, scrutinize, investigate: I went over your report last night. They are going over everyone''s luggage with a fine-tooth comb. b be received: The first song went over very well. c clean, tidy or neaten (up): I''ve just gone over the entire flat. d rehearse, repeat, reiterate, review, go through: We keep going over the same things, again and again. 35 go round or US also around. a revolve, rotate, spin, whirl, twirl: The earth takes a year to go round the sun. b suffice, be sufficient or adequate or enough, satisfy: Are there enough life jackets to go around? c See 21, above. 36 go through. a experience, suffer, undergo, bear, take, stand, tolerate, put up with, brook, submit to, endure, live through, brave: I don''t think I could go through another war. b be accepted or approved, pass (muster): The bill went through without a hitch. c See 34 (a), above. 37 go together. a harmonize, accord, agree, fit, go, suit each other, belong (with each other): I don''t think that puce and vermilion go together. b See 33 (c), above. 38 go under. a See 27 (a), above. b fail, collapse, subside, go bankrupt, succumb, Brit go to the wall, Colloq fold, US go belly up: Statistics show that more than 500 companies go under every week in the USA. 39 go up. a rise, increase: If inflation goes up, the Chancellor will raise interest rates. b explode, blow up: The munitions factory went up, showering debris over the whole neighbourhood. 40 go with. a go together with, harmonize with, blend with, be suitable or suited for, fit (in) with, accord or agree with: That scarf does not go with the dress. b socialize with, associate with, date, accompany, court, Old-fashioned Brit walk out with, US date: I hear that Connie is going with Don. 41 go without. do or manage or get by without, lack, be deprived of, need; abstain from, survive or live or continue without: In the old days, if you could not afford something, you went without. She cannot go without a cigarette for more than an hour. --n. 42 chance, turn, opportunity, try, attempt, Colloq whack, crack, whirl, shot, stab: I don''t expect much, but I''ll have a go anyway.
go-ahead | go-ahead: n. 1 permission, approval, leave, authorization, sanction, Colloq say-so, okay or OK, green light, US the nod: I have the go-ahead to proceed with the project. --adj. 2 ambitious, enterprising, progressive, forward-looking, resourceful: The directors, all under thirty, make it a real go-ahead company.
goal | goal: n. object, aim, purpose, end, objective, target, ambition, ideal, aspiration: Fletcher''s goal is to be head of the company.
gob | gob: n. chunk, piece, blob, lump, gobbet, morsel, fragment, bite: She took a gob of peanut butter and spread it on the bread.
gobbledegook | gobbledegook: n. 1 gobbledygook, jargon, nonsense, gibberish, moonshine, rubbish, tommy-rot, mumbo-jumbo, humbug, balderdash, eyewash, hogwash, poppycock, drivel, Colloq bunk, rot, garbage, bosh, pish and tush, piffle, bilge (water), Slang crap, malarkey, bull, bullshit, Brit (load of old) cobblers or codswallop: Can you make sense out of all that computer gobbledegook? 2 gobbledygook, equivocation, double-talk, deception, deceptiveness, vagueness, quibbling, circumlocution, obscurantism, obfuscation, ambagiousness, shiftiness: Ordinary people are often confused by the gobbledegook of official pronouncements.
go-between | go-between: n. intermediary, agent, middleman, medium, mediator, negotiator, messenger, internuncio, liaison; intercessor, interceder: David served as go-between in our negotiations with the rebels.
goblin | goblin: n. elf, gnome, hobgoblin, imp, kobold, leprechaun, demon, brownie, pixie, nix or nixie: On Hallowe''en the ghouls and goblins will get you if you don''t watch out!
god | god: n. deity, demigod, demiurge, divinity, spirit, immortal, genius, power, tutelary, numen: Throughout man''s sojourn on earth he has worshipped many gods.
godless | godless: adj. 1 wicked, evil, iniquitous, sinful, unrighteous, unholy, hellish; impious, blasphemous, profane, sacrilegious, ungodly: The prison was a godless place, where one was murdered for a crust of bread. 2 atheistic, nullifidian, agnostic, unbelieving, sceptical: In theory, communism is a godless ideology.
godlike | godlike: adj. 1 divine, godly, sacred, holy, saintly, angelic, seraphic, blest, blessed, sainted: The savages thought her a goddess and treated her with godlike reverence. 2 heavenly, celestial, blissful, rapturous, ecstatic, beatific, ethereal: For a decade, she lived a godlike existence among the savages.
godly | godly: adj. religious, pious, devout, God-fearing, good, righteous, holy, virtuous, moral, pure, saintly, reverent, pietistic, devoted, faithful: The monks pursue a godly life in their mountain fastness.
godsend | godsend: n. gift, blessing, benediction, boon, windfall, bonanza, stroke of (good) fortune, piece or bit of (good) luck: The Red Cross parcels were a godsend to the prisoners of war.
goggle-eyed | goggle-eyed: adj. agog, awestruck, wide-eyed, thunder-struck, agape, open-mouthed, gawking, staring, dumbfounded or dumfounded, astonished, astounded, amazed, stupefied, dazed, surprised: His first time in the city, Eugene stood goggle-eyed at the skyscrapers.
going | going: adj. 1 thriving, successful, succeeding, prosperous, wealthy, affluent, booming, prospering, flourishing, growing: The Davises took over a failing business and turned it into a going concern. 2 current, present, contemporary, active, effective, accepted, prevailing, prevalent, universal, common, usual, customary: What is the going rate for a skilled cabinet-maker?
golden | golden: adj. 1 yellow, yellowish, gold, blond or blonde, flaxen, aureate; tow(-haired): Her golden tresses fell about her shoulders. 2 gold, auriferous; gilded, gilt, aureate; Technical auric, aurous: They drank together from a golden bowl. 3 bright, shining, brilliant, sunny, gleaming, lustrous, shiny, glittering, dazzling, resplendent, radiant, glowing, sparkling: We emerged from the black tunnel into golden sunshine. 4 happy, blissful, delightful, joyful, glorious, joyous, exuberant: We can never recapture the golden days of our youth. 5 flourishing, halcyon, prosperous, thriving, favourable, excellent, outstanding, productive, fertile, blessed, blest, good, successful, palmy: After the golden age of Greece and Rome, Europe was plunged into the dismal gloom of the Dark Ages. 6 gifted, talented, favoured, special, exceptional, favourite, cherished, pet, Brit blue-eyed, white-headed, white-haired, US fair-haired: As long as the company''s profits were increasing, Hamilton was the golden boy. 7 advantageous, propitious, auspicious, promising, rosy, opportune, optimistic, favourable: She missed a golden opportunity by turning down the job.
good | good: adj. 1 agreeable, satisfactory, commendable, acceptable, fair, adequate, admissible, tolerable, all right, passable, Colloq okay or OK: According to the reviews, the new opera is good but not great. 2 admirable, outstanding, first-rate, first-class, fine, superb, superior, tiptop, extraordinary, exemplary, choice, excellent, capital, marvellous, wonderful, splendid, sterling, Colloq super(-duper), great, smashing, A1 or A-1 or A-one, Brit cracking, brilliant, amazing, ace, knockout, brill, fantastic, terrific, unbelievable, groovy, fab, fabulous, crucial, serious, US bad, Old-fashioned Brit tickety-boo, No. Eng. champion, Chiefly US A-OK: I thought that was a really good dinner. 3 correct, proper, decorous, orderly, right, seemly, fit, fitting, suitable, meet, appropriate, allowable, permissible, admissible, passable, satisfactory, tolerable: He should get time off for good behaviour. 4 obedient, well-behaved, proper, well-mannered: Why can''t you be a good boy when we go out? 5 moral, high-minded, righteous, noble, wholesome, chaste, pure, honourable, ethical, upstanding, upright, virtuous, worthy, lofty, elevated, saintly, angelic, godly, godlike: Think only good thoughts and still you may not get to heaven. 6 kind, benevolent, beneficent, gracious, gentle, kindly, nice, considerate, friendly, solicitous, good-hearted, sympathetic, benign, charitable, humane, kind-hearted, well-disposed: Her parents have always been good to me. 7 fresh, unspoilt, edible, consumable, palatable: These eggs are good but the milk has gone off. 8 genuine, valid, legitimate, authentic, honest, proper, reliable, secure, dependable, safe, creditable, sound, solid, substantial, well-founded, trustworthy, honest, actual, real; credible, believable, convincing, compelling, cogent: Have you a good reason for saying that? 9 honourable, esteemed, respected, respectable, well-thought-of, reputable, established, solid: They say that he comes from a good family. 10 well-proportioned, shapely, attractive: Yes, I''d say that Marilyn has a good figure. 11 thorough, complete, penetrating, careful: Has she had a good look at the defendant? 12 gifted, talented, competent, capable, skilful, clever, accomplished, proficient, adept, adroit, skilled: Am I a good enough actor to audition for the part? 13 advantageous, propitious, opportune, beneficial, profitable, favourable; safe, secure, reliable, sound, sensible: Are utilities a good investment? Is this a good time to buy shares? 14 healthy, salubrious, salutary, beneficial, wholesome: We''ll have to put you on a good diet. 15 best, company, Sunday, special-occasion, most luxurious: Should we use the good glasses tonight? 16 ample, sufficient, adequate, considerable, full, extensive, sizeable, large, substantial: We have a good supply of food available. 17 approving, complimentary, flattering, positive, favourable, enthusiastic, laudatory, eulogistic, encomiastic: His book received a very good review in the Sunday supplement. 18 great, considerable, sizeable, substantial, fair: We are still a good distance away from land. --n. 19 benefit, advantage, profit, use, usefulness, gain, worth, avail: What good does it do to complain? 20 goodness, morality, virtue, merit, righteousness, right, rectitude, worth, probity, virtuousness, integrity, nobility, high-mindedness, honourableness, honesty: The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with their bones. 21 goods. a possessions, (personal) property, chattels, things, gear, belongings, effects, paraphernalia, movables, stuff: He''s gone and he''s taken all his goods with him. b merchandise, commodities, wares, stock, produce, tangibles, assets: We shall pay on delivery of the goods. c US and Canadian (incriminating) evidence or proof or information or documentation or facts or data: The police have the goods on the murderer. d fabric, cloth, textile, material, yard goods, piece-goods: My tailor said he had made it from the best goods available. e freight: A goods train had broken down on the line between Oxford and Banbury.
goodbye | goodbye: interjection. Farewell!, Hawaiian Aloha!; Italian Arrivederci!, Ciao!; German Auf Wiedersehen!; French Au revoir!, Adieu!; Japanese Sayonara!; Spanish �Adios!, �Hasta la vista!, �Hasta luego!; Latin Vale!; Colloq Bye! or ''Bye!, Bye-bye!, Toodle-oo!, So long!, Brit Ta-ta!, Cheers!, cheerio, Old-fashioned Pip! Pip!, US See you later ( alligator)!: We said our goodbyes and went on our way.
good-for-nothing | good-for-nothing: adj. 1 worthless, useless: ''You are asking too much for that good-for-nothing old lamp'', Aladdin told the pedlar. --n. 2 ne''er-do-well, wastrel, waster, idler, loafer, layabout, lazybones, slugabed, sluggard, black sheep, Colloq US gold brick, goof-off: Why doesn''t that lazy good-for-nothing get a job?
goodly | goodly: adj. considerable, sizeable, substantial, ample, great, large, significant, consequential: The museum attracts a goodly number of visitors each year.
good-natured | good-natured: adj. good-humoured, friendly, agreeable, genial, gracious, good-hearted, pleasant, mellow, easygoing, considerate, nice, kind, kindly, kind-hearted, tender-hearted, charitable, tolerant, generous, courteous, cordial, warm, warm-hearted, amiable, amicable, cooperative: He seems a good-natured fellow, but not too bright.
goody-goody | goody-goody: adj. smug, sanctimonious, self-righteous, priggish, prim, holier-than-thou, Pecksniffian, hypocritical: She''s one of those goody-goody people who never do anything wrong.
gooey | gooey: adj. 1 gluey, sticky, tacky, glutinous, mucilaginous, gummy: The pudding was accompanied by an unpleasantly gooey sauce. 2 sweet, sugary, saccharine, sentimental, unctuous, cloying, syrupy, mawkish, maudlin, Colloq mushy, slushy, sloppy: They like to watch those gooey soap operas.
gore� | gore�: n. blood, carnage, butchery, slaughter, bloodshed: The current crop of horror films have too much gore for my taste.
gore� | gore�: v. pierce, stab, poke, horn, penetrate, puncture, spear, gouge, spit, stick, impale, disembowel: The matador, severely gored by the bull, was carried away.
gorge | gorge: n. 1 ravine, canyon, defile, pass, chasm, fissure, crevasse, gully or gulley, wadi or wady, gap, Brit gill or ghyll, US and Canadian notch: Water runs in this gorge only during the rainy season. 2 vomit, vomitus: Injustice makes my gorge rise. --v. 3 fill, stuff, glut, cram; gulp, gobble (down), devour, bolt (down), wolf (down), gormandize, swallow: She acquired the habit of gorging on cream cakes.
gorgeous | gorgeous: adj. 1 resplendent, splendid, magnificent, glorious, exquisite, sumptuous, dazzling, grand, beautiful, splendorous, breathtaking, radiant, refulgent, brilliant, showy, colourful, Colloq splendiferous: The males are known for their gorgeous plumage. 2 great, terrific, fantastic, wonderful, marvellous, glorious, spectacular, superb, excellent, Colloq fantabulous, marvy, smashing, super, nifty, neat, swell: He married a gorgeous fashion model.
gory | gory: adj. bloody, sanguinary, blood-soaked, bloodstained; gruesome, grisly, horrific, blood-curdling: The scene was so gory as to turn the strongest stomach.
gospel | gospel: n. truth, fact, certainty: He swears that his story is gospel.
gossip | gossip: n. 1 chat, conversation, talk, chit-chat, small talk, palaver; tittle-tattle, prattle; Scots clishmaclaver; gup; Colloq Brit natter, chin-wag: I was just having a little gossip with my neighbour. 2 rumour, scandal, hearsay, information, on dit, word, Colloq grapevine, (inside) info, tittle-tattle, Slang dope, Chiefly US scuttlebutt, US and Canadian poop: The latest gossip is that she left him for another woman. 3 rumour-mill, rumour-monger, scandalmonger, gossip-monger, newsmonger, busybody, tattle-tale, quidnunc, blabber, blatherskite, tell-tale, talebearer, flibbertigibbet, Colloq big-mouth, chatterbox, blabbermouth, Nosy Parker: That old gossip will tell everybody your business. --v. 4 Sometimes, gossip about. bruit, tattle, rumour, whisper, blether or US blather, gabble, Colloq blab, Brit natter, Slang jaw: I was just gossiping to my friend about your new job.
gouge | gouge: v. 1 chisel, gash, incise, scratch, groove, dig; scoop or hollow (out): The screwdriver slipped and gouged a piece out of the table. She''s so mad she wants to gouge out your eyes. 2 extort, extract, bilk, defraud, wrest, wrench, squeeze, blackmail, Colloq milk, bleed, skin, fleece, cheat, swindle: The gang gouged money from their classmates by threatening to tell the teacher. --n. 3 groove, furrow, scratch, gash, hollow; trench, ditch: The retreating glacier cut a deep gouge in the landscape.
gourmet | gourmet: n. epicure, connoisseur, Lucullus, gastronome, gourmand, bon vivant, bon viveur: My dear, that was a dinner fit for a gourmet!
govern | govern: v. 1 rule, control, direct, reign, hold sway (over), lead, conduct, guide, manage, regulate, run, supervise, superintend, oversee, steer, captain, pilot, command, head (up), look after, sit on the throne, wield the sceptre, wear the crown, run the show, be in power, be in charge (of), exercise or wield power or control (over), have or hold the whip hand, Colloq wear the pants, be in the saddle or driver''s seat: Catherine governed with an iron hand. 2 control, check, bridle, curb, master, subdue, restrain, contain, hold in, suppress, repress: You must govern the urge to scream out.
government | government: n. 1 rule, command, authority, regulation, control, management, direction, administration, sway, superintendence, supervision, oversight, guidance, domination: His government of the island has led to disorder. 2 administration, ministry, regime: The government intends to ban smoking in public places.
