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

combining_form

1. a variant of allo-

all

²

/ 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 are welcome

      all of it is nice

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

      an all-amateur tournament

      an all-ticket match

      an all-night sitting

2. the greatest possible

   in all earnestness

3. any whatever

   to lose all hope of recovery

   beyond all doubt

4. above all
   most of all; especially
5. after all
   See after
6. all along
   all the time
7. all but
   almost; nearly

   all but dead

8. all of
   no less or smaller than

   she's all of thirteen years

9. all over
   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. typically; representatively (in the phrase that's me ( you, him, us, them, etc ) all over ) Also (Irish)all out
   4. unduly effusive towards
   5. sport in a dominant position over
10. See all in
11. all in all
    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. all that or that informal.
    usually used with a negative (intensifier)

    she's not all that intelligent

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

    we must work all the faster now

14. all too
    definitely but regrettably

    it's all too true

15. and all
    1. 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. and all that 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 all that
    as one might expect or hope

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

18. at all
    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. be all for informal.
    to be strongly in favour of
20. be all that informal.
    to be exceptionally good, talented, or attractive
21. for all
    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. for all that
    in spite of that

    he was a nice man for all that

23. in all
    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. be all … informal.
   used for emphasis when introducing direct speech or nonverbal communication

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

noun

1. preceded bymy, your, his, etc (one's) complete effort or interest

   you are my all

   to give your all

2. totality or whole

Usage Note

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

   He came in time after all.

2. all but, almost; very nearly:

   These batteries are all but dead.

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. all in hand, Printing, Journalism. (of the copy for typesetting a particular article, book, issue, etc.) in the possession of the compositor.
5. all in the wind, Nautical. too close to the wind.
6. all in, Northern and Western U.S. very tired; exhausted:

   We were all in at the end of the day.

7. all out, with all available means or effort:

   We went all out to win the war.

8. all over,
   1. finished; done; ended.
   2. everywhere; in every part.
   3. in every respect or typically.
9. all standing, Nautical.
   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.
10. 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.

11. all the better, more advantageous; so much the better:

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

12. all there, Informal. mentally competent; sane:

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

13. 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.

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. 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.

16. be all, Informal. 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!”

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

    For all that, it was a good year.

18. in all, all included; all together:

    a hundred guests in all.

19. once and for all, for the last time; finally:

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

20. above all. above all.
21. all at once. once ( def 9 ).
22. all bets are off. all bets are off.
23. all the same. same ( def 9 ).
24. all told. told ( def 2 ).

More idioms and phrases containing all

• 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
• (all) in the same boat
• it's all downhill from here
• it's all over with
• it takes all sorts
• 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
• not all it's cracked up to be
• not at all
• not for all the tea in china
• no time at all
• 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
• (all) to the good
• 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

He beat Democratic rival Kamala Harris in all seven closely watched swing states, giving him a decisive advantage overall.

From BBC

He has broadened his appeal across nearly all groups of voters since his 2020 defeat.

From BBC

To do so, he would need to have won more than 50%, as all victors have done for the last 20 years - other than Trump in 2016.

From BBC

The winner in any given state wins all of its electoral votes - for example, 19 in swing state Pennsylvania.

From BBC

And it is important to remember that the “winner takes all” mechanic of the electoral college means that relatively slender wins in some critical areas can be amplified into what looks like a much more resounding triumph.

From BBC

Words That Use All-

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.

Examples of all-

One technical term that features the combining form all- is allonym, “the name of another person taken by an author as a pen name.”

The all- part of the word means “other,” but what about -onym? If you’re familiar with synonym and anonymous, you may be able to guess this combining form’s definition: “name.” Allonym literally translates to “other name.”

What are some words that use the combining form all-?

• allesthesia
• allachesthesia

What are some other forms that all- may be commonly confused with?

• al-
• algo-
• allanto-
• alt-

Not every word that begins with all- is using the combining forming all- to denote “other.” Learn why allay means “to calm” at our entry for the word.

In some cases, all-, with the hyphen, is used to mean “whole” or “total,” as in all-American or all-out. This use of all- simply the combining form of the English adjective all and is therefore unrelated to the Greek-origin form all-.

Another easily confused combining form is al-, which is a variant of the combining form ad-, from Latin ad, “to” or “toward.” The -d- in this combining form often assimilates, or changes to match, the first letter of the combining form that follows; instead of adlure, for example, we say allure.

Break it down!

Esthesia is a medical term meaning “capacity for sensation or feeling; sensitivity.” With this in mind, the term allesthesia is a condition in which a person feels a sensation in a different part of the body from the point that was stimulated. Based on the meaning of all- and esthesia, what is a literal translation of allesthesia?