Definition of -all in English English dictionary
- Relating to the whole of something
end-all.
- of or pertaining to; adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to make an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also
cranium, craniall.
- All Blacks
- the national rugby union representative team of New Zealand
- All Fools' Day
- April 1, a day when practical jokes are traditionally played
- All Hallows'
- literally All Saints; the Christian feast day honoring all Christian saints, which means not just canonized saints, but all Christians who have died and gone to heaven
- All Hallows' Day
- A Christian feast day, 1st November, honouring the saints; the day after Halloween
- All Saints Day
- the Christian festival, held November 1, that commemorates all the saints (especially, in many churches, those who have died in the preceding year)
- All Saints' Day
- In Christian tradition, the annual feast day celebrating the life of all saints on the first day of November
- All Souls' Day
- In Christian tradition, the annual feast day celebrating the life of all the faithful departed on the second day of November
- All Whites
- the men's national association football (soccer) representative team of New Zealand
- I'm all right, Jack
- A comment that indicates a selfish attitude. Not worried about any problems your friends and neighbours might have. Often associated with strikes and other trade union industrial actions
From my vantage point at the large, shiny bar in the centre of the room, I could swear I spotted Harriet Harman with her trade unionist husband I'm all right, Jack Dromey.
- Jack of all Trades
- Alternative spelling of jack of all trades
- Jack-of-all-trades
- Alternative spelling of jack of all trades
- a rising tide lifts all boats
- Benefits provided to a few may lead to conditions that are beneficial to all
- above all
- Of prime importance; before anything else
- after all
- In the end; anyway; referring to something that was believed to be the case, but has now been shown not to be
- against all odds
- Despite seemingly insurmountable opposition or probability
Against all odds the small community college ended up in the NCAA final four.
- all
- intensifier
You’ve got it all wrong.
- all
- Apiece; each
The score was 30 all when the rain delay started.
- all
- Every individual or anything of the given class, with no exceptions (the noun or noun phrase denoting the class must be plural or uncountable)
All my friends like classical music.
- all
- So much
Don't want to go? All the better since I lost the tickets.
- all
- Everything
Some gave all they had.
Everything's all right now.
- Everything is all right now.
He lost everything he owned.
- He lost all his possessions.
- all
- Everything possible
She gave her all, and collapsed at the finish line.
- all
- The totality of one's possessions
she therefore ordered Jenny to pack up her alls and begone, for that she was determined she should not sleep that night within her walls.
- all
- Throughout the whole of (a stated period of time; generally used with units of a day or longer)
I’ve been working on this all year. (= I've been working from the beginning of the year until now.).
- all
- Everyone
All gave some of what they had.
Everyone in his family is tall.
- His family members are all tall.
Everyone who knew him admired him.
- All who knew him admired him.
- all ages
- open to people of all ages, particularly to children under the age of 18
- all along
- For the entire time; always
He thought he had me fooled, but I knew the truth all along.
- all and sundry
- each one
- all and sundry
- all, everyone
- all around
- encircling example: "all around the earth"
- all around
- including everything about a topic
- all at once
- Unexpectedly; without warning; all of a sudden
When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils - William Wordsworth, Daffodils.
- all bark and no bite
- Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious
- all bark and no bite
- Describes someone who often says cutting remarks, but actually has a soft personality underneath
- all bets are off
- Indicates that a future event appears uncertain, especially one that before seemed more certain
- all but
- Very nearly
The food is all but finished.
- all caps
- Text or a font in which all letters are capital letters
- all cats are gray at night
- Variant of all cats are grey in the dark
- all cats are gray in the dark
- Variant of all cats are grey in the dark
- all cats are grey at night
- Variant of all cats are grey in the dark
- all clear
- a signal that danger, such as an air raid, is over; usually a siren at a single pitch
- all clear
- permission to proceed after obstacles have been removed
- all correct
- true; agreed, yes indeed
- all correct
- in order; properly arranged; as expected; above reproach; shipshape
of documents, especially legal documents) accurate and appropriate.
- all decked out
- decorated; embellished; well dressed or dressed up (most often in a historic sense)
She was all decked out in her Edwardian finery.
- all duck or no dinner
- All or nothing
- all ears
- Awaiting an explanation
I am all ears to find out how my car, which used to have a perfectly functional engine, will no longer start.
- all ears
- listening intently; fully focused
The students were all ears when they found out the topic of the film was reproduction. They were disappointed to discover that it was also about fish.
- all else being equal
- Holding other conditions unchanged; ceteris paribus
- all else the same
- Ceteris paribus
- all eyes
- Watching alertly or attentively
- all eyes
- Gazing at devotedly
He was all eyes for her.
- all eyes
- Having prominent eyes
- all eyes and ears
- To be attentive
Seated by my mother, and keeping the ſilence that cuſtom preſcribes to young women, I was all eyes and ears; but when we chanced for a moment in private with Madam l’Epine, I aſked her a few queſtions, the anſwers to which elucidated my obſervations.
- all fingers and thumbs
- clumsy or awkward
He tried to tie his shoelace but was all fingers and thumbs due to his nervousness.
- all fired up
- excited or energized; highly enthusiastic
They were all fired up to see the show.
- all for
- completely in favour
I'm all for people being able to edit this dictionary.
- all fours
- The four limbs of a primate
- all fours
- The four legs of a quadruped
- all fours
- A card game similar to whist
- all fur coat and no knickers
- Having a superficially positive appearance that is belied by the reality, e.g., superficially elegant and beautiful but actually sleazy
Yes..
- all good things come to an end
- Nothing lasts forever
- all hands on deck
- An order, on board ship, for all seamen of all watches to muster on deck immediately; normally shortened to "All hands"
As soon as the boche and his guard were aboard again, I called all hands on deck, including von Schoenvorts, and there I explained to them that the time had come for us to enter into some sort of an agreement among ourselves that would relieve us of the annoyance and embarrassment of being divided into two antagonistic parts--prisoners and captors.
- all hat and no cattle
- Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious
Yew certainly are. All hat and no cattle.
- all hell breaks loose
- The situation becomes chaotic or characterized by conflict or rage
- all hell broke loose
- A great disaster happened or chaos ensued
When the fire alarm went off, all hell broke loose as the crowd made for the exits.
- all holiday
- a saying signifying that it is all over with the business or person spoken of or alluded to
It is all holiday with him.
- all hollow
- Common misspelling of all hallow
- all hollow
- As a foregone conclusion
it was all hollow, or a hollow thing, it was a decided thing from the beginning.
- all in
- Being without any further money to bet, but remaining active in a hand
By betting his last $100, John was all in.
- all in
- A hand where at least one player bets all of his or her chips
- all in
- Very tired
Either the celebrated lilt of her voice was born in, or she had used it so much and so long that it might as well have been. She looked all in, no doubt of that, but the lilt was there.
- all in
- A player who is all in
Since she was against an all in, Jill had no reason to bet.
- all in
- With everything included
- all in a day's work
- A nonchalant dismissal of a significant accomplishment
- all in all
- Generally, all things considered
All in all, it's not a bad little restaurant.
- all in good time
- One should be patient
All in good time!.
- all in good time
- At a suitable moment in time
Don't worry! I'm sure it will arrive all in good time.
- all ins
- plural form of all in
- all it's cracked up to be
- as good as claims or reputation would suggest
This expensive software is not all it’s cracked up to be. It still has a lot of problems.
- all kidding aside
- Used to attempt to make a serious point in a jocular conversation
Max, just remember, when we call, I call, just say Yes, Joe, okay? (Laughter.) All kidding aside, thanks for your great help in this, Max.
- all kinds of
- Extremely
After shooting Joan to death, he'd gone home and killed himself, leaving behind a wife and young daughter. And a written confession that sounded all kinds of crazy.
- all mouth and no trousers
- Alternative form of all mouth and trousers
- all mouth and trousers
- Superficial, engaging in empty, boastful talk, but not of real substance
- all my eye
- rubbish, humbug
That's all my eye, Matthew; you know all about it as well as any one. It is so. He does not want to see me..
- all my eye and Betty Martin
- rubbish, humbug
Oh, that's all my eye and Betty Martin! Nobody believes that, I should hope.
- all nations
- A composition of all the different spirits sold in a dram-shop, collected in a vessel into which the drainings of the bottles and quartern pots are emptied
- all of a sudden
- Suddenly, quickly
All of a sudden I felt very hot and tired.
- all of the sudden
- Alternative form of all of a sudden
- all of the time
- Alternative form of all the time
- all on a sudden
- Alternative form of all of a sudden
- all one
- A matter of indifference; a matter having no importance or consequence
And sometimes he had some preliminary information to help him, and sometimes he had not. And it was all one, really. It was about as useful as information trying to convey the locality and intentions of a cloud.
- all one's eggs in one basket
- The state of having invested heavily in just one area
the stock market decline wouldn’t have hurt him so badly if he hadn’t had all his eggs in one basket.
- all one's eggs in one basket
- The state of having devoted all of one’s resources to one thing
at his age he will not get another shot; he really has all his eggs in this one basket.
- all out
- Without regard for risk
- all out
- With maximum effort
- all out
- The state of a side having no more men to bat, thus ending its innings
- all over
- Over an entire extent
He was covered all over with mud.
- all over
- Everywhere
I've looked all over for it.
- all over
- Everywhere; covering completely
He dropped the bucket and got paint all over the floor and his clothes.''.
- all over
- In every way; thoroughly
Dancing with everyone, singing show tunes all night: that was Luke all over.
- all over again
- Once again; one further time
I spent 5 hours finding a suitable present for my sister, but then I lost it and had to look all over again.
- all over but the shouting
- The substance of the contest is complete, leaving only the cheering
- all over hell's half acre
- All over the place; everywhere
We came back outside and the neat pile of leaves we had raked had been blown all over Hell’s half acre.
- all over the board
- Alternative form of all over the map
The numbers I got for that were all over the board.
- all over the map
- In widely scattered directions; in a widely varying manner
I hit it all over the map,” Anderson joked.
- all over the map
- Widely scattered or distributed; numerous and differing greatly
The Kip Hanrahan Band, which opened the concert, is after its own ambitious American-Latin fusion, with internationalist rhythms, introspective lyrics and musicians from all over the map.
- all over the place
- Lacking a clear pattern; with a large amount of variation
I asked each person in turn, and their answers were all over the place.
- all over the place
- Covering a location thoroughly or completely
When the house caught on fire the firemen came and sprayed water all over the place.
- all over the place
- Thoroughly; completely
I took a big piece of paper and then just painted flowers all over the place.''.
- all over the place
- At multiple locations in the vicinity
The cart fell over and there were apples all over the place.
- all over the place
- Inconsistent; lacking a clear pattern; with a large amount of variation
I asked each person in turn, and their answers were all over the place.
- all over the place
- In multiple directions, sometimes in a random or near random pattern
I poured a big glass of milk but then it spilled all over the place.
- all over the shop
- Alternative form of all over the place
- all over with
- Completely finished; over
When the event is all over with, make sure that the place is cleaned up and the lights are turned off.
- all right
- good; in acceptable, if not excellent condition
The car is all right. It gets me there, anyway.
- all right
- fairly well
That went all right, I suppose.
- all right
- Used as a greeting, roughly equivalent to how are you
All right, mate, how are things with you and the missus?.
- all right
- Used to fill space or pauses
All right, so what you suggest we do next?.
- all right
- Used to affirm, indicate agreement, or consent
All right, let's go then.
- all right
- In good health, unharmed
I had a headache earlier, but now I'm all right.
- all right
- Used as a general lead-in or beginning
All right, let's get started.
- all right
- Used to indicate support, favor or encouragement
All right! They scored!.
- all right
- Most certainly; for sure
You taught them a lesson all right! They won't be back.
- all right
- Used to express exasperation or frustration, often with already
All right, already! Let me finish what I was doing first, and then we can talk.
- all right, my lover
- An informal affectionate greeting
- all rights reserved
- The holder of a copyright reserves the sole right to publish a work, and is entitled to take legal action against infringement
- all roads lead to Rome
- different paths can take one to the same goal
- all rounder
- A player who is skilled in both batting and bowling
- all rounder
- A person who has many skills
- all rounders
- plural form of all rounder
- all set
- Ready; prepared
I'm all set to leave for my vacation.
- all singing, all dancing
- Having many features, options or extras; sometimes used ironically to imply that the added features are just gimmicks
- all sizzle and no steak
- A thing or person which fails to measure up to its description or advanced promotion
Y2K may be the equivalent of the Kohotek comet—all sizzle and no steak.
- all square
- both players or sides having the same score; tied, drawn
- all systems go
- "Everything is ready"; originally used in the aerospace industry to indicate preparedness to launch
- all talk and no action
- Speaking, promising, or boasting much, but doing little
He never gets his job done. He's just all talk and no action.
- all talk and no cider
- all talk and no results
- all that
- very
We do not have all that much time to finish.
- all that
- possessing remarkable social acumen (also, all that and a bag of chips)
She's all that and a bag of chips; also as in the title of an American children's sketch comedy television program, made by Nickelodeon.
- all that glitters is not gold
- Things that appear valuable or worthwhile might not actually be so, things that look nice might not be as good as they look
- all that jazz
- Everything else related to something; other similar things
He went to school to study math and science and all that jazz.
- all the best
- Used to wish someone good luck
- all the less
- even less
His record is all the less impressive once you discover that he made half of it up.
- all the marbles
- everything; all that is to be had
after a day's worth of events, it came down to one last match; this one was for all the marbles.
- all the more
- even more
London was startled by a crime of singular ferocity and rendered all the more notable by the high position of the victim.
- all the rage
- Very fashionable and popular, like a craze
MySpace is all the rage these days for new bands.
- all the same
- Anyway; nevertheless; nonetheless
He knew it was risky, but he did it all the same.
- all the tea in China
- Something priceless or invaluable
I would rather have you than all the tea in China.
- all the time
- Very often; frequently
I have never been this excited about having an album. I play it all the time.
- all the time
- Always; constantly; for the complete duration
The public does not wish to be outraged in this way all the time.
- all the way
- To the end
- all the way to Egery and back
- The long way; a roundabout route; a long distance to travel
- all the while
- At the same time as, usually over an extended period
- all things being equal
- Without considering or being affected by external factors
So, all things being equal, who would you like to date?.
- all things come to those who wait
- A patient seeker will be satisfied in due time; patience is a virtue
- all things considered
- Despite possible indications to the contrary
Jurgis lost his temper very little, however, all things considered.
- all thumbs
- Clumsy; awkward; not dextrous
I am all thumbs when it comes to shuffling cards.
- all to
- completely, totally
- all to smash
- completely, to the point of destruction
- all to smash
- Ruined; bankrupt
- all told
- With everything included, counted or summed
I think they had over 300 people there, all told.
- all too
- Excessively
- all too
- Very; extremely
- all up with
- Over for, finished for (negative connotation.)
- all very well
- True, as far as it goes
- all very well
- All right, to a certain extent
That's all very well, but how are we supposed to move 900 pounds of equipment out there, at all?.
- all wet
- Thoroughly soaked; drenched
When I came home, I found a common-looking person, all wet and muddy.
- all wet
- Utterly incorrect; erroneous; uninformed
The lull gave Johnson a chance to show such critics as Canada's Prime Minister Lester Pearson and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman J. William Fulbright that they were all wet in arguing that a halt in the bombing might open the way to negotiations.
- all wool and a yard wide
- Describes someone or something of high quality
- all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
- Too much focus on one's career is often viewed unfavorably
- all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
- Too much hard work and not enough leisure time can be unhealthy
- all y'all
- Plural form of you
- all y'all's
- Possessive of all y'all (standing in for all your)
- all your base are belong to us
- Used to tout victory over an opponent, or simply as a humorous catchphrase
- all's
- Contraction of all as
- all's
- what; all that
All's I know is that there are still many expressions missing.
- all's fair in love and war
- unpleasant behavior is acceptable during love and conflict
- all's well that ends well
- Even though something may have had problems or unexpected steps, it is okay as long as the finished product is okay
- all-
- Combining form to indicate complete power or authority in an area
all-powerful.
- all-
- Combining form to indicate that a term applies in a general manner
all-right.
- all-American
- Known by, encompassing all of, or best in America
He was an all-American basketball player last year.
- all-American
- A United States patriot
He was regarded by the other soldiers as an all-American for his courage in battle.
- all-a-mort
- Sad; at death's door
How fares my Kate? What, sweet one, all-a-mort?.
- all-a-mort
- Struck dumb, confounded. (1811 Dictionary of Vulgar Tongue)
- all-around
- able to do many or all things well
- all-around
- Generally, broadly
an all-around better player than me.
- all-around
- comprehensive in extent
- all-as-one
- synchronized
- all-as-one
- as a group; together
- all-but
- Alternative spelling of all but
- all-caps
- Alternative spelling of all caps
- all-caps
- Written in all caps, with all letters capitalized
- all-clear
- A sign or signal indicating that a hindrance or danger is clear
- all-comers
- Everyone who comes to a given event
The meeting is open to all-comers.
- all-consuming
- Totally engrossing, using up all of one's time and energy
Editing a dictionary with other people is an all-consuming task.
- all-consuming
- That consumes everything; that uses everything up
Google is the all-consuming superpower on the Internet; soon everything will be owned by them.
- all-cotton
- Describing fabric that is purely cotton rather than a blend with synthetic fibers
- all-day
- Lasting throughout the whole day
an all-day event.
- all-day sucker
- An extra-large lollipop
- all-eating
- Eating all; consuming everything
Then being ask'd where all thy beauty lies,/Where all the treasure of thy lusty days/To say, within thine own deep-sunken eyes,/Were an all-eating shame and thriftless praise. — William Shakespeare, Sonnet II.
- all-elbows
- of a program that steals whatever resources it needs without consideration to other tasks
- all-embracing
- having a broad scope so as to have universal application
- all-encompassing
- including everything; universal
- all-fire
- To an intense degree (used to express mild disapproval or reproof)
If she's so all-fire lonely, why doesn't she ever leave her dorm room and actually meet people?.
- all-fire
- Extreme or intense in degree (used to express mild disapproval or reproof)
If you were not in such an all-fire hurry to get out of there, you would not have forgotten your purse.
- all-fired
- Extremely, inordinately, very
Of course, I was only stringing Jerry . . . he thinks he's so all-fired cute and smart.
- all-fired
- Extreme, excessive
It's an all-fired outrage to tell any human creature that he's bound to hell.
- all-important
- Very important; vital or crucial
- all-in
- Alternative form of all in
- all-in wrestling
- A style of wrestling with few rules or restrictions
- all-in-one
- A multifunction device, especially a printer, such as one that also works as a scanner and fax machine
- all-inclusive
- Providing all amenities, benefits or perquisites in a single package
We stayed an an all-inclusive resort while we were in Bermuda, they weren't kidding about all-inclusive, even the golf was free.
- all-knowing
- Knowing everything; omniscient
- all-night
- Lasting throughout the whole night
an all-night party.
- all-night-man
- a body snatcher or grave robber
- all-nighter
- Something that lasts throughout the whole night
That party was an all-nighter.
- all-or-nothing
- that will either completely succeed or completely fail
- all-out
- using every available means
They were planning to launch an all-out attack against the enemy.
