all (ôl)adj.1. Being or representing the entire or total number, amount, or quantity: All the windows are open. Deal all the cards. See Synonyms at whole. 2. Constituting, being, or representing the total extent or the whole: all Christendom. 3. Being the utmost possible of: argued the case in all seriousness. 4. Every: got into all manner of trouble. 5. Any whatsoever: beyond all doubt. 6. Pennsylvania Finished; used up: The apples are all. See Regional Note at gum band. 7. Informal Being more than one: Who all came to the party? See Regional Note at you-all. n. The whole of one's fortune, resources, or energy; everything one has: The brave defenders gave their all. pron.1. The entire or total number, amount, or quantity; totality: All of us are sick. All that I have is yours. 2. Everyone; everything: justice for all. adv.1. Wholly; completely: a room painted all white; directions that were all wrong. 2. Each; apiece: a score of five all. 3. So much: I am all the better for that experience. Idioms: all along From the beginning; throughout: saw through the disguise all along. all but Nearly; almost: all but crying with relief. all in all Everything being taken into account: All in all, the criticism seemed fair. all of Informal Not more than: a conversation that took all of five minutes. all one Of no difference; immaterial: Whether we go out or stay in, it's all one to me. all out With all one's strength, ability, or resources. all that Informal To the degree expected. all there Mentally unimpaired or competent. all the same1. Notwithstanding; nevertheless. 2. Of no difference, immaterial. all told With everything considered; in all: All told, we won 100 games. and all And other things of the same type: "The only thing they seemed to have in common was their cowboy gear, ten-gallon hats and all" (Edward Chen). at all1. In any way: unable to walk at all. 2. To any extent; whatever: not at all sorry. be all Informal To say or utter. Used chiefly in verbal narration: He's all, "What did you do that for?" in all Considering everything; all together: In all, it rained for two hours. I bought four hats, in all.
[Middle English al, from Old English eall; see al-3 in Indo-European roots.] Usage Note: The construction all that is used informally in questions and negative sentences to mean "to the degree expected." In the late 1960s, the Usage Panel rejected its use, but evidently resistance to all that is crumbling. Seventy-two percent of the Panel now finds the construction acceptable in the sentence The movie is not all that interesting. · Sentences of the form All X's are not Y may be ambiguous. All of the departments did not file a report may mean that some departments did not file, or that none did. The first meaning can be expressed unambiguously by the sentence Not all of the departments filed a report. The second meaning requires a paraphrase such as None of the departments filed a report or All of the departments failed to file a report. The same problem can arise with other universal terms such as every in negated sentences, as in the ambiguous Every department did not file a report. See Usage Note at every. Our Living Language Among the newest ways of introducing direct speech in the United States is the construction consisting of a form of be with all, as in I'm all, "I'm not gonna do that!" And she's all, "Yes you are!" This construction is particularly common in the animated speech of young people in California and elsewhere on the West Coast, who use it more frequently than the informal East Coast alternatives, be like and go, as in He's like (or goes), "I'm not gonna do that!" These indicators of direct speech tend to be used more often with pronoun subjects ( He's all, "I'm not....") than with nouns ( The man's all, "I'm not...."), and with the historical present ( He's all....) than with the past ( He was all....). All of these locutions can introduce a gesture or facial expression rather than a quotation, as in He's all.... followed by a shrug of the shoulders. Be all and be like can also preface a statement that sums up an attitude, as in "I'm all 'No way!'" See Notes at go1, like2. |