mad
♦ mad /m'æd/ (madder maddest)
1 [ADJ]
Someone who is mad has a mind that does not work in a normal way, with the result that their behaviour is very strange.
She was afraid of going mad.
= insane
● madness [N-UNCOUNT]
He was driven to the brink of madness.
2 [ADJ]
You use mad to describe people or things that you think are very foolish.
You'd be mad to work with him again...
Isn't that a rather mad idea?
= crazy
● madness [N-UNCOUNT]
It is political madness.
3 [ADJ] usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ at/about n
If you say that someone is mad, you mean that they are very angry. (INFORMAL)
You're just mad at me because I don't want to go...
4 [ADJ] v-link ADJ about/on n
If you are mad about or mad on something or someone, you like them very much indeed. (INFORMAL)
She's not as mad about sport as I am...
He's mad about you...
He's mad on trains.
[COMB in ADJ]
Mad is also a combining form.
...his football-mad son...
He's not power-mad.
5 [ADJ]
Mad behaviour is wild and uncontrolled.
You only have an hour to complete the game so it's a mad dash against the clock...
The audience went mad.
● madly [ADV] ADV with v
Down in the streets people were waving madly.
6 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you say that someone or something drives you mad, you mean that you find them extremely annoying. (INFORMAL)
There are certain things he does that drive me mad...
This itching is driving me mad.
7 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If you do something like mad, you do it very energetically or enthusiastically. (INFORMAL)
He was weight training like mad.
8
mad keen: see keen
see also madlybark|ing mad
[ADJ] v-link ADJ
If you say that someone is barking mad, you mean that they are insane or are acting very strangely. (BRIT INFORMAL)
The builder looked at me as though I was barking mad.
= bonkersmad cow dis|ease
[N-UNCOUNT]
Mad cow disease is a disease which affects the nervous system of cattle and causes death. (mainly BRIT)
= BSE
1 [ADJ]
Someone who is mad has a mind that does not work in a normal way, with the result that their behaviour is very strange.
She was afraid of going mad.
= insane
● madness [N-UNCOUNT]
He was driven to the brink of madness.
2 [ADJ]
You use mad to describe people or things that you think are very foolish.
You'd be mad to work with him again...
Isn't that a rather mad idea?
= crazy
● madness [N-UNCOUNT]
It is political madness.
3 [ADJ] usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ at/about n
If you say that someone is mad, you mean that they are very angry. (INFORMAL)
You're just mad at me because I don't want to go...
4 [ADJ] v-link ADJ about/on n
If you are mad about or mad on something or someone, you like them very much indeed. (INFORMAL)
She's not as mad about sport as I am...
He's mad about you...
He's mad on trains.
[COMB in ADJ]
Mad is also a combining form.
...his football-mad son...
He's not power-mad.
5 [ADJ]
Mad behaviour is wild and uncontrolled.
You only have an hour to complete the game so it's a mad dash against the clock...
The audience went mad.
● madly [ADV] ADV with v
Down in the streets people were waving madly.
6 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you say that someone or something drives you mad, you mean that you find them extremely annoying. (INFORMAL)
There are certain things he does that drive me mad...
This itching is driving me mad.
7 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If you do something like mad, you do it very energetically or enthusiastically. (INFORMAL)
He was weight training like mad.
8
mad keen: see keen
see also madlybark|ing mad
[ADJ] v-link ADJ
If you say that someone is barking mad, you mean that they are insane or are acting very strangely. (BRIT INFORMAL)
The builder looked at me as though I was barking mad.
= bonkersmad cow dis|ease
[N-UNCOUNT]
Mad cow disease is a disease which affects the nervous system of cattle and causes death. (mainly BRIT)
= BSE