All

• POS: Definite Article, Noun, Adverb

CIDE DICTIONARY

All, a. [OE. al, pl. alle, AS. eal, pl. ealle, Northumbrian alle, akin to D. & OHG. al, Ger. all, Icel. allr. Dan. al, Sw. all, Goth. alls; and perh. to Ir. and Gael. uile, W. oll.].

•  The whole quantity, extent, duration, amount, quality, or degree of; the whole; the whole number of; any whatever; every; as, all the wheat; all the land; all the year; all the strength; all happiness; all abundance; loss of all power; beyond all doubt; you will see us all (or all of us).  [1913 Webster]

  "Prove all things: hold fast that which is good."  [1913 Webster]
•  Any.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

  " When the definite article “the,” or a possessive or a demonstrative pronoun, is joined to the noun that all qualifies, all precedes the article or the pronoun; as, all the cattle; all my labor; all his wealth; all our families; all your citizens; all their property; all other joys."  [1913 Webster]

  "This word, not only in popular language, but in the Scriptures, often signifies, indefinitely, a large portion or number, or a great part. Thus, all the cattle in Egypt died, all Judea and all the region round about Jordan, all men held John as a prophet, are not to be understood in a literal sense, but as including a large part, or very great numbers."  [1913 Webster]
•  Only; alone; nothing but.  [1913 Webster]

  "I was born to speak all mirth and no matter."  [1913 Webster]

All the whole, the whole (emphatically). [Obs.] “All the whole army.” Shak.

All, adv. 

•  Wholly; completely; altogether; entirely; quite; very; as, all bedewed; my friend is all for amusement.  Byron.  [1913 Webster]

  " In the ancient phrases, all too dear, all too much, all so long, etc., this word retains its appropriate sense or becomes intensive."  [1913 Webster]
•  Even; just. (Often a mere intensive adjunct.)  [1913 Webster]

  "All as his straying flock he fed."  [1913 Webster]

  "A damsel lay deploring
  All on a rock reclined."  [1913 Webster]

All to, or All-to. In such phrases as “all to rent,” “all to break,” “all-to frozen,” etc., which are of frequent occurrence in our old authors, the all and the to have commonly been regarded as forming a compound adverb, equivalent in meaning to entirely, completely, altogether. But the sense of entireness lies wholly in the word all (as it does in “all forlorn,” and similar expressions), and the to properly belongs to the following word, being a kind of intensive prefix (orig. meaning asunder and answering to the LG. ter-, HG. zer-). It is frequently to be met with in old books, used without the all. Thus Wyclif says, “The vail of the temple was to rent:” and of Judas, “He was hanged and to-burst the middle:” i. e., burst in two, or asunder. -- All along. See under Along. -- All and some, individually and collectively, one and all. [Obs.] “Displeased all and some.” Fairfax. -- All but. (a) Scarcely; not even. [Obs.] Shak. (b) Almost; nearly. “The fine arts were all but proscribed.” Macaulay. -- All hollow, entirely, completely; as, to beat any one all hollow. [Low] -- All one, the same thing in effect; that is, wholly the same thing. -- All over, over the whole extent; thoroughly; wholly; as, she is her mother all over. [Colloq.] -- All the better, wholly the better; that is, better by the whole difference. -- All the same, nevertheless. “There they [certain phenomena] remain rooted all the same, whether we recognize them or not.” J. C. Shairp. “But Rugby is a very nice place all the same.” T. Arnold. -- See also under All, n.

All, n. 

 The whole number, quantity, or amount; the entire thing; everything included or concerned; the aggregate; the whole; totality; everything or every person; as, our all is at stake.  [1913 Webster]
"All is used with of, like a partitive; as, all of a thing, all of us."  [1913 Webster]
" All is much used in composition to enlarge the meaning, or add force to a word. In some instances, it is completely incorporated into words, and its final consonant is dropped, as in almighty, already, always: but, in most instances, it is an adverb prefixed to adjectives or participles, but usually with a hyphen, as, all-bountiful, all-glorious, allimportant, all-surrounding, etc. In others it is an adjective; as, allpower, all-giver. Anciently many words, as, alabout, alaground, etc., were compounded with all, which are now written separately."  [1913 Webster]
"Death, as the Psalmist saith, is certain to all."  [1913 Webster]
"All that thou seest is mine."  [1913 Webster]
"Thou shalt be all in all, and I in thee,
Forever."  [1913 Webster]
"Trust me not at all, or all in all."  [1913 Webster]

All, conj. [Orig. all, adv., wholly: used with though or if, which being dropped before the subjunctive left all as if in the sense although.].

 Although; albeit.  [1913 Webster]
"All they were wondrous loth."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

All, adj., n., & adv.
--adj.
1 a the whole amount, quantity, or extent of (waited all day; all his life; we all know why; take it all). b (with pl.) the entire number of (all the others left; all ten men; the children are all boys; film stars all).
2 any whatever (beyond all doubt).
3 greatest possible (with all speed).
--n.
1 a all the persons or things concerned (all were present; all were thrown away). b everything (all is lost; that is all).
2 (foll. by of) a the whole of (take all of it). b every one of (all of us). c colloq. as much as (all of six feet tall). d colloq. affected by; in a state of (all of a dither).
3 one's whole strength or resources (prec. by my, your, etc.).
4 (in games) on both sides (two goals all).

Idiom

all along all the time (he was joking all along). all-American
1 representing the whole of (or only) America or the US.
2 truly American (all-American boy). all and sundry everyone. all-around US = all-round. All Blacks colloq. the New Zealand international Rugby Union football team. all but very nearly (it was all but impossible; he was all but drowned). all-clear a signal that danger or difficulty is over.
All Fools' Day
1 April. all for colloq. strongly in favour of. All Hallows see HALLOW. all-important crucial; vitally important. all in colloq. exhausted. all-in (attrib.) inclusive of all. all in all everything considered. all-in wrestling wrestling with few or no restrictions. all manner of see MANNER. all of a sudden see SUDDEN. all one (or the same) (usu. foll. by to) a matter of indifference (it's all one to me). all out involving all one's strength; at full speed (also (with hyphen) attrib. : an all-out effort). all over 1 completely finished.
2 in or on all parts of (esp. the body) (went hot and cold all over; mud all over the carpet).
3 colloq. typically (that is you all over).
4 sl. effusively attentive to (a person). all-purpose suitable for many uses. all right (predic.)
)
1 satisfactory; safe and sound; in good condition.
2 satisfactorily, as desired (it worked out all right).
3 a an interjection expressing consent or assent to a proposal or order. b as an intensifier (that's the one all right). all-right attrib.adj. colloq. fine, acceptable (an all-right guy).
all round
1 in all respects (a good performance all round).
2 for each person (he bought drinks all round). all-round (attrib.) (of a person) versatile. all-rounder Brit. a versatile person.
All Saints' Day
1 Nov. all the same nevertheless, in spite of this (he was innocent but was punished all the same). all set colloq. ready to start. All Souls' Day
2 Nov. all there colloq. mentally alert. all-time (of a record etc.) hitherto unsurpassed. all the time see TIME. all together all at once; all in one place or in a group (they came all together) ( cf. ALTOGETHER). all told in all. all-up weight the total weight of an aircraft with passengers, cargo, etc., when airborne. all very well colloq. an expression used to reject or to imply scepticism about a favourable or consoling remark. all the way the whole distance; completely. at all (with neg. or interrog.) in any way; to any extent (did not swim at all; did you like it at all?). be all up with see UP. in all in total number; altogether (there were 10 people in all). on all fours see FOUR. one and all everyone.

Usage

Widely used with of in sense 2a, b, esp. when followed by a pronoun or by a noun implying a number of persons or things, as in all of the children are here. However, use with mass nouns (as in all of the bread) is often avoided.
--adv.
1 a entirely, quite (dressed all in black; all round the room; the all-important thing). b as an intensifier (a book all about ships; stop all this grumbling).
2 colloq. very (went all shy).
3 (foll. by the + compar.) a by so much; to that extent (if they go, all the better). b in the full degree to be expected (that makes it all the worse).

Etymology

OE all, eall, prob. f. Gmc

THESAURUS

All

A to Z, A to izzard, Copernican universe, Einsteinian universe, Newtonian universe, Ptolemaic universe, acme, across the board, aggregate, all and some, all and sundry, all being, all creation, all hands, all in all, all put together, all the world, all-embracing, all-inclusive, allness, alpha and omega, altogether, any, apogee, as a body, as a whole, aside, assemblage, at large, be-all, be-all and end-all, beginning and end, bodily, ceiling, climax, collectively, complement, complete, comprehensive, corporately, cosmos, created nature, created universe, creation, crown, each, each and all, each and every, each one, en bloc, en masse, end, entire, entirely, entirety, every, every man Jack, every one, everybody, everyman, everyone, everything, everything that is, exactly, exhaustive, expanding universe, extreme, extremity, full, gross, highest degree, holistic, in a body, in all, in all respects, in bulk, in its entirety, in the aggregate, in the gross, in the lump, in the mass, in toto, inclusive, integral, integrated, just, length and breadth, limit, macrocosm, macrocosmos, maximum, megacosm, metagalaxy, nature, ne plus ultra, nth degree, omneity, omnibus, on all counts, one, one and all, one and indivisible, outright, package, package deal, peak, per, per capita, pinnacle, plenary, plenum, pulsating universe, purely, quite, set, sidereal universe, steady-state universe, stick, sum, sum of things, sum total, summit, system, the corpus, the ensemble, the entirety, the lot, the whole, the whole range, top, total, totality, totality of being, totally, tote, tout ensemble, tout le monde, universal, universe, utmost, utmost extent, utterly, uttermost, whole, whole wide world, wholly, wide world, world, world without end

ROGET THESAURUS

All

Whole

N whole, totality, integrity, totalness, entirety, ensemble, collectiveness, unity, completeness, indivisibility, indiscerptibility, integration, embodiment, integer, all, the whole, total, aggregate, one and all, gross amount, sum, sum total, tout ensemble, length and breadth of, Alpha and Omega, be all and end all, complex, complexus, lock stock and barrel, bulk, mass, lump, tissue, staple, body, compages, trunk, torso, bole, hull, hulk, skeleton greater part, major part, best part, principal part, main part, essential part, lion's share, Benjamin's mess, the long and the short, nearly, all, almost all, whole, total, integral, entire, complete, one, individual, unbroken, intact, uncut, undivided, unsevered, unclipped, uncropped, unshorn, seamless, undiminished, undemolished, undissolved, undestroyed, unbruised, indivisible, indissoluble, indissolvable, indiscerptible, wholesale, sweeping, comprehensive, wholly, altogether, totally, entirely, all, all in all, as a whole, wholesale, in a body, collectively, all put together, in the aggregate, in the lump, in the mass, in the gross, in the main, in the long run, en masse, as a body, on the whole, bodily, en bloc, in extenso, throughout, every inch, substantially, tout bien ou rien, whole, totality, integrity, totalness, entirety, ensemble, collectiveness, unity, completeness, indivisibility, indiscerptibility, integration, embodiment, integer, all, the whole, total, aggregate, one and all, gross amount, sum, sum total, tout ensemble, length and breadth of, Alpha and Omega, be all and end all, complex, complexus, lock stock and barrel, bulk, mass, lump, tissue, staple, body, compages, trunk, torso, bole, hull, hulk, skeleton greater part, major part, best part, principal part, main part, essential part, lion's share, Benjamin's mess, the long and the short, nearly, all, almost all, whole, total, integral, entire, complete, one, individual, unbroken, intact, uncut, undivided, unsevered, unclipped, uncropped, unshorn, seamless, undiminished, undemolished, undissolved, undestroyed, unbruised, indivisible, indissoluble, indissolvable, indiscerptible, wholesale, sweeping, comprehensive, wholly, altogether, totally, entirely, all, all in all, as a whole, wholesale, in a body, collectively, all put together, in the aggregate, in the lump, in the mass, in the gross, in the main, in the long run, en masse, as a body, on the whole, bodily, en bloc, in extenso, throughout, every inch, substantially, tout bien ou rien, whole, totality, integrity, totalness, entirety, ensemble, collectiveness, unity, completeness, indivisibility, indiscerptibility, integration, embodiment, integer, all, the whole, total, aggregate, one and all, gross amount, sum, sum total, tout ensemble, length and breadth of, Alpha and Omega, be all and end all, complex, complexus, lock stock and barrel, bulk, mass, lump, tissue, staple, body, compages, trunk, torso, bole, hull, hulk, skeleton greater part, major part, best part, principal part, main part, essential part, lion's share, Benjamin's mess, the long and the short, nearly, all, almost all, whole, total, integral, entire, complete, one, individual, unbroken, intact, uncut, undivided, unsevered, unclipped, uncropped, unshorn, seamless, undiminished, undemolished, undissolved, undestroyed, unbruised, indivisible, indissoluble, indissolvable, indiscerptible, wholesale, sweeping, comprehensive, wholly, altogether, totally, entirely, all, all in all, as a whole, wholesale, in a body, collectively, all put together, in the aggregate, in the lump, in the mass, in the gross, in the main, in the long run, en masse, as a body, on the whole, bodily, en bloc, in extenso, throughout, every inch, substantially, tout bien ou rien.

Completeness

N completeness, completion, integration, allness, entirety, perfection, solidity, solidarity, unity, all, ne plus ultra, ideal, limit, complement, supplement, make-weight, filling, up, impletion, saturation, saturity, high water, high tide, flood tide, spring tide, fill, load, bumper, bellyful, brimmer, sufficiency, complete, entire, whole, perfect, full, good, absolute, thorough, plenary, solid, undivided, with all its parts, all- sided, exhaustive, radical, sweeping, thorough-going, dead, regular, consummate, unmitigated, sheer, unqualified, unconditional, free, abundant, brimming, brimful, topful, topfull, chock full, choke full, as full as an egg is of meat, as full as a vetch, saturated, crammed, replete, fraught, laden, full-laden, full-fraught, full-charged, heavy laden, completing, supplemental, supplementary, ascititious, completely, altogether, outright, wholly, totally, in toto, quite, all out, over head and ears, effectually, for good and all, nicely, fully, through thick and thin, head and shoulders, neck and heel, neck and crop, in all respects, in every respect, at all points, out and out, to all intents and purposes, toto coelo, utterly, clean, clean as a whistle, to the full, to the utmost, to the backbone, hollow, stark, heart and soul, root and branch, down to the ground, to the top of one's bent, as far as possible, a outrance, throughout, from first to last, from beginning to end, from end to end, from one end to the other, from Dan to Beersheba, from head to foot, from top to toe, from top to bottom, de fond en comble, a fond, a capite ad calcem, ab ovo usque ad mala, fore and aft, every, whit, every inch, cap-a-pie, to the end of the chapter, up to the brim, up to the ears, up to the eyes, as a as can be, on all accounts, sous tous les rapports, with a vengeance, with a witness, falsus in uno falsus in omnibus, false in one thing, false in everything, omnem movere lapidem, una scopa nuova spazza bene.

Generality

N generality, generalization, universality, catholicity, catholicism, miscellany, miscellaneousness, dragnet, common run, worldwideness, everyone, everybody, all hands, all the world and his wife, anybody, N or M, all sorts, prevalence, run, general, generic, collective, broad, comprehensive, sweeping, encyclopedical, widespread, universal, catholic, catholical, common, worldwide, ecumenical, oecumenical, transcendental, prevalent, prevailing, rife, epidemic, besetting, all over, covered with, Pan-American, Anglican, Pan-Hellenic, Pan-Germanic, slavic, panharmonic, every, all, unspecified, impersonal, customary, whatever, whatsoever, to a man, one and all, generally, always, for better for worse, in general, generally speaking, speaking generally, for the most part, in the long run.