all

¹

[awl]

adjective

1. the whole of (used in referring to quantity, extent, or duration).

   all the cake;

   all the way;

   all year.

2. the whole number of (used in referring to individuals or particulars, taken collectively).

   all students.

   Synonyms: everyplace, far and wide, throughout

3. the greatest possible (used in referring to quality or degree).

   with all due respect;

   with all speed.

4. every different; many different.

   I've met all manner of people on my travels.

   This essay has all sorts of grammatical errors.

5. any; any whatever.

   beyond all doubt.

6. nothing but; alone.

   The coat is all wool.

7. dominated by or as if by the conspicuous possession or use of a particular feature: They were all ears, listening attentively to everything she said.

   The colt was all legs.

   They were all ears, listening attentively to everything she said.

8. Chiefly Pennsylvania German.,  all gone; consumed; eaten up.

   The pie is all.

pronoun

1. the whole quantity or amount.

   He ate all of the peanuts. All are gone.

2. the whole number; every one.

   all of us.

3. everything.

   Is that all you want to say?

   All is lost.

noun

1. one's whole interest, energy, or property.

   to give one's all;

   to lose one's all.

2. Often All the entire universe.

adverb

1. wholly; entirely; completely.

   all alone.

   Synonyms: fully, utterly, totally

2. only; exclusively.

   He spent his income all on pleasure.

3. each; apiece.

   The score was one all.

4. Archaic.,  even; just.

all-

²

1. variant of allo- before a vowel.

   allonym.

all

¹

/ ɔːl /

determiner

1. 1. the whole quantity or amount of; totality of; every one of a class

      all the rice

      all men are mortal

   2. ( as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural )

      all of it is nice

      all are welcome

   3. ( in combination with a noun used as a modifier )

      an all-ticket match

      an all-amateur tournament

      an all-night sitting

2. the greatest possible

   in all earnestness

3. any whatever

   to lose all hope of recovery

   beyond all doubt

4. most of all; especially

5. See after

6. all the time

7. almost; nearly

   all but dead

8. no less or smaller than

   she's all of thirteen years

9. 1. finished; at an end

      the affair is all over between us

   2. over the whole area (of something); everywhere (in, on, etc)

      all over England

   3. Also (Irish): all out. typically; representatively (in the phrase that's me ( you, him, us, them, etc ) all over )

   4. unduly effusive towards

   5. sport in a dominant position over

10. See all in

11. 1. everything considered

       all in all, it was a great success

    2. the object of one's attention or interest

       you are my all in all

12. informal,  (usually used with a negative) (intensifier)

    she's not all that intelligent

13. (foll by a comparative adjective or adverb) so much (more or less) than otherwise

    we must work all the faster now

14. definitely but regrettably

    it's all too true

15. 1. informal,  as well; too

       and you can take that smile off your face and all

    2. a parenthetical filler phrase used at the end of a statement to make a sl ight pause in speaking

16. informal

    1. and similar or associated things; et cetera

       coffee, tea, and all that will be served in the garden

    2. used as a filler or to make what precedes more vague: in this sense, it often occurs with concessive force

       she was sweet and pretty and all that, but I still didn't like her

    3. See that

17. as one might expect or hope

    she's not as pretty as all that, but she has personality

18. 1. (used with a negative or in a question) in any way whatsoever or to any extent or degree

       I didn't know that at all

    2. even so; anyway

       I'm surprised you came at all

19. informal,  to be strongly in favour of

20. informal,  to be exceptionally good, talented, or attractive

21. 1. in so far as; to the extent that

       for all anyone knows, he was a baron

    2. notwithstanding

       for all my pushing, I still couldn't move it

22. in spite of that

    he was a nice man for all that

23. altogether

    there were five of them in all

adverb

1. (in scores of games) apiece; each

   the score at half time was three all

2. completely

   all alone

3. informal,  used for emphasis when introducing direct speech or nonverbal communication

   he was all, 'I'm not doing that'

noun

1. (one's) complete effort or interest

   to give your all

   you are my all

2. totality or whole

all-

²

combining form

1. a variant of allo-

Usage

Expressions like all the farther and all the higher occur chiefly in informal speech: This is all the farther the bus goes. That's all the higher she can jump. Elsewhere as far as and as high as are generally used: This is as far as the bus goes. That's as high as she can jump. Although some object to the inclusion of of in such phrases as all of the students and all of the contracts and prefer to omit it, the construction is entirely standard. See also already, alright, altogether.

Word History and Origins

Origin of all¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English al, Old English eal(l); cognate with Gothic alls, Old Norse allr, Old Frisian, Dutch, Middle Low German al, Old Saxon, Old High German al(l) ( German all ); perhaps from unattested ol-no-, equivalent to Welsh oll and akin to Old Irish uile, from unattested ol-io-; almighty

Word History and Origins

Origin of all¹

Old English eall; related to Old High German al, Old Norse allr, Gothic alls all

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. all standing,

   1. in such a way and so suddenly that sails or engines are still set to propel a vessel forward.

      The ship ran aground all standing.

   2. fully clothed.

      The crew turned in all standing.

   3. fully equipped, as a vessel.

2. above all. above all.

3. all in all,

   1. everything considered; in general.

      All in all, her health is greatly improved.

   2. altogether.

      There were twelve absentees all in all.

   3. everything; everything regarded as important.

      Painting became his all in all.

4. once and for all, for the last time; finally.

   The case was settled once and for all when the appeal was denied.

5. all the same. same.

6. all at once. once.

7. for all (that), in spite of; notwithstanding.

   For all that, it was a good year.

8. all that,

   1. remarkably; entirely; decidedly (used in negative constructions).

      It's not all that different from your other house.

   2. Slang. exceptionally good; the finest; the best.

      His new shoes are all that.

9. all there, mentally competent; sane.

   Some of his far-fetched ideas made us suspect that he wasn't all there.

10. all over,

    1. finished; done; ended.

    2. everywhere; in every part.

    3. in every respect or typically.

11. all in the wind, too close to the wind.

12. all bets are off. all bets are off.

13. all out, with all available means or effort.

    We went all out to win the war.

14. and all, together with every other associated or connected attribute, object, or circumstance.

    What with the snow and all, we may be a little late.

15. all the better, more advantageous; so much the better.

    If the sun shines it will be all the better for our trip.

16. in all, all included; all together.

    a hundred guests in all.

17. all in, very tired; exhausted.

    We were all in at the end of the day.

18. at all,

    1. in the slightest degree.

       I wasn't surprised at all.

    2. for any reason.

       Why bother at all?

    3. in any way.

       Sorry, I meant no offense at all.

19. all told. told.

20. after all, in spite of the circumstances; notwithstanding.

    He came in time after all.

21. all up,

    1. Printing, Journalism. (of copy) completely set in type.

    2. Informal. with no vestige of hope remaining.

       It's all up with George—they've caught him.

22. all but, almost; very nearly.

    These batteries are all but dead.

23. all in hand, (of the copy for typesetting a particular article, book, issue, etc.) in the possession of the compositor.

24. be all, to say, declare, think, or feel (usually used to introduce reported speech or thought).

    I try to talk to her and she's all, “Get away from me!”

More idioms and phrases containing all

• (all) in the same boat
• (all) to the good
• above all
• after all
• against all odds
• as all getout
• at all
• at all costs
• be-all and end-all
• beat all
• by all accounts
• by all means
• by all odds
• cap it all
• fall all over
• firing on all cylinders
• first of all
• for all
• for all I care
• for all I know
• for all one's worth
• for all that
• get away (from it all)
• get one's act (it all) together
• go all the way
• have all one's buttons
• have it all over someone
• have it both ways (all)
• hit on all cylinders
• hold all the aces
• in a (all of a) dither
• in all
• in all good conscience
• in all one's born days
• in all probability
• it takes all sorts
• it's all downhill from here
• it's all over with
• jump all over
• know all the answers
• know-it-all
• laugh all the way to the bank
• least of all
• let it all hang out
• no time at all
• not all it's cracked up to be
• not at all
• not for all the tea in china
• of all the nerve
• of all things
• once and for all
• one and all
• pull out all the stops
• put all one's eggs in one basket
• seen one, seen them all
• till all hours
• to all intents and purposes
• turn out all right
• walk all over
• warts and all
• when all's said and done
• with all due respect
• with all one's heart
• you can't win them all

Example Sentences

“I knew it was going to be tough, but we all believed he was going to be fine; it was just a matter of time and figuring it out.”

From Los Angeles Times

“I would look at him,” she said, “and I would say, ‘I would do this all over again.’

From Los Angeles Times

I would look at him and I would say, ‘This sucks,’ and ‘This is scary,’ but if you asked me, if this was gonna be my fate, I would do it all over again.”

From Los Angeles Times

“After ICE raids, fires and political tension, things are awful. We need to bring joy back to people. Something simple like one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time. I’m excited to be alive for it.”

From Los Angeles Times

All week, L.A. bars and nightclubs have packed their calendars with Oasis-themed parties.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• entirely 
• exactly 
• fully 
• purely 
• quite 
• totally 

When To Use

What does all- mean?

All- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “other” or "different." This form crops up occasionally in medical and scientific terms.In chemistry, all- denotes the more stable of two geometric isomers. Isomers are molecules that contain the same numbers of the same kinds of atoms but in which the atoms have different structural arrangements.All- comes from Greek állos, meaning “other.” This word’s distant cousins in Latin, alius and alter, which have similar definitions, give us words such as alien and alternative. The opposite of all- is the form aut-, from Greek autós, “self.”What are variants of all-?All- is a variant of allo-, which typically loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.Want to learn more? Read our Words That Use allo- article.