macho /mæ tʃoʊ, [AM ] mɑː -/ ADJ You use macho to describe men who are very conscious and proud of their masculinity. [INFORMAL ] □ …displays of macho bravado.
mac|in|tosh /mæ k I ntɒʃ/ → see mackintosh
macke|rel /mæ kərəl/ (mackerel ) N‑VAR A mackerel is a sea fish with a dark, patterned back. □ They'd gone out to fish for mackerel. ● N‑UNCOUNT Mackerel is this fish eaten as food.
mack|in|tosh /mæ k I ntɒʃ/ (mackintoshes ) N‑COUNT A mackintosh is a raincoat, especially one made from a particular kind of waterproof cloth. [mainly BRIT ]
macro /mæ kroʊ/ (macros )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You use macro to indicate that something relates to a general area, rather than being detailed or specific. [TECHNICAL ] □ …regulation of the economy both at the macro level and at the micro level.
2 N‑COUNT A macro is a shortened version of a computer command which makes the computer carry out a set of actions. [COMPUTING ]
PREFIX macro-
is added to words in order to form new words that are technical and that refer to things which are large or involve the whole of something. For example, macroeconomic policies relate to the economic system of a whole country.
macro|bi|ot|ic /mæ kroʊba I ɒ t I k/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Macrobiotic food consists of whole grains and vegetables that are grown without chemicals. [TECHNICAL ] □ …a strict macrobiotic diet.
macro|bi|ot|ics /mæ kroʊba I ɒ t I ks/ N‑UNCOUNT Macrobiotics is the practice of eating macrobiotic food. [TECHNICAL ]
macro|cosm /mæ kroʊkɒzəm/ N‑SING A macrocosm is a complex organized system such as the universe or a society, considered as a single unit. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] The macrocosm of the universe is mirrored in the microcosm of the mind.
macro|eco|nom|ics /mæ kroʊiː kənɒ m I ks, -e k-/ also macro-economics N‑UNCOUNT [BUSINESS ] Macroeconomics is the branch of economics that is concerned with the major, general features of a country’s economy, such as the level of inflation, unemployment, or interest rates. □ Too many politicians forget the importance of macroeconomics. ● ma|cro|ec|o|nom|ic /mæ kroʊiː kənɒ m I k, -e k-/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] □ …macro-economic policy.
mad ◆◇◇ /mæ d/ (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. ● mad|ness 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. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ You'd be mad to work with him again. □ Isn't that a rather mad idea? ● mad|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ It is political madness.
3 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you say that someone is mad , you mean that they are very angry. [INFORMAL ] □ [+ at ] You're just mad at me because I don't want to go. [Also + about ]
4 ADJ If you are mad about or mad on something or someone, you like them very much indeed. [INFORMAL ] □ [+ about ] She's not as mad about sport as I am. □ [+ about ] He's mad about you. □ [+ on ] He's mad on trains. ● COMB 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. ● mad|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Down in the streets people were waving madly.
6 PHRASE 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 If you do something like mad , you do it very energetically or enthusiastically. [INFORMAL ] □ He was weight training like mad.
8 → see also madly
9 mad keen → see keen
mad|am /mæ dəm/ also Madam N‑COUNT People sometimes say Madam as a very formal and polite way of addressing a woman whose name they do not know or a woman of superior rank. For example, a shop assistant might address a woman customer as Madam . [POLITENESS ] □ Try them on, madam.
mad|cap /mæ dkæp/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A madcap plan or scheme is very foolish and not likely to succeed. [INFORMAL ] □ The politicians simply flitted from one madcap scheme to another.
ma d co w dis|ease N‑UNCOUNT Mad cow disease is a disease which affects the nervous system of cattle and causes death. [mainly BRIT ]
mad|den /mæ d ə n/ (maddens , maddening , maddened ) VERB To madden a person or animal means to make them very angry. □ [V n] He knew that what he was saying did not reach her. And the knowledge of it maddened him.
mad|den|ing /mæ dən I ŋ/ ADJ If you describe something as maddening , you mean that it makes you feel angry, irritated, or frustrated. □ Shopping in the January sales can be maddening. ● mad|den|ing|ly ADV [ADV adj, ADV after v] □ The service is maddeningly slow.
made /me I d/
1 Made is the past tense and past participle of make .
2 ADJ If something is made of or made out of a particular substance, that substance was used to build it. □ [+ of ] The top of the table is made of glass. □ [+ out of ] What is the statue made out of?