mad

adjective madder, maddest

1 ANGRY (not before noun) informal especially AmE angry: You make me so mad! | Stay clear of Tucker - he's mad as hell and looking for a fight. | mad at sb AmE: Don't get mad at me, I'm just telling you what Ray said. | mad with sb BrE: Mum's really mad with Peter since he borrowed her car. | go mad BrE informal (=become extremely angry): Joe will go mad when he finds out how much I paid for that dress. | hopping mad (=very angry) | as mad as a wet hen AmE (=very angry)

2 CRAZY BrE very silly or unwise; crazy: Surely no one would be mad enough to fly in this weather? | You've agreed marry him! Are you mad? | stark raving mad (=completely crazy): My friends all think I'm stark raving mad. | barking mad (=completely crazy, with very strange ideas)

3 MENTALLY ILL old-fashioned, not technical mentally ill; insane (2): Mr Rochester's mad wife | There was a mad gleam in his bloodshot eyes.

4 WILD/UNCONTROLLED especially BrE behaving in a wild, uncontrolled way, without thinking about what you are doing: a mad dash/rush etc: We all made a mad dash for the door. | be mad with rage/grief etc: She was mad with grief when she heard about her son's death.

5 go mad

a) not technical to become mentally ill

b) especially BrE to start behaving in an excited or uncontrolled way: When Italy scored, the crowd went mad. | We went a bit mad and ordered a bottle of champagne.

c) BrE to start feeling crazy because you are very bored, annoyed, or anxious: Sometimes I thought I'd go mad with loneliness. | I'll go mad if I have to spend another day in that place.

d) BrE informal to become very angry: Mum will go mad when she finds out what I paid for this dress.

6 don't go mad BrE spoken used to tell someone not to work too hard or to get too excited: I know you've got a lot to do before tomorrow morning but don't go mad.

7 you/she etc must be mad (to do sth) BrE spoken used when you think someone is very silly or stupid to do something: You've given up your job? You must be mad!

8 be mad about/on sb BrE informal to love someone in a strong, uncontrolled way: I was totally mad about him.

9 be mad about/on sth informal BrE to be very interested in an activity and spend a lot of time on it: He's completely mad about computer games.

10 be mad keen on BrE informal to be very interested in something or like it very much: Giles was mad keen on planes from an early age.

11 run/work etc like mad BrE informal to run, work etc as quickly as you can: She ran like mad to catch the bus. | We've been working like mad to get the job finished.

12 drive sb mad BrE to make someone so bored, annoyed, or anxious that they feel as if they are going crazy: I wish you'd stop making that noise, it's driving me mad!

13 power-mad/money-mad/sex-mad etc only interested in power, money etc: a power-mad dictator

14 as mad as a hatter informal behaving in a way that is very silly or strange, but unlikely to do any harm