- completely
- She was dressed all in white.
- He lives all alone.
- The coffee went all over my skirt.
Definitions on the go
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- (informal) very
- She was all excited.
- Now don't get all upset about it.
- all too… used to show that something is more than you would like
- I'm all too aware of the problems.
- The end of the trip came all too soon.
- (in sports and games) to each side
- The score was four all.
Word OriginOld English all, eall, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch al and German all.
Idioms
See all in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee all in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishall along
- all the time; from the beginning
- I realized it was in my pocket all along.
all around (North American English)
(British English all round)
- in every way; in all respects
- a good performance all around
- for each person
- She bought drinks all around.
all the better, harder, more, etc.
- so much better, harder, etc.
- We'll have to work all the harder with two people off sick.
- Her difficult childhood makes her achievements all the more remarkable.
all but
- almost
- The party was all but over when we arrived.
- It was all but impossible to read his writing.
- everything or everyone except something/somebody
- All but one of the plates were damaged.
all in
all of something
- (often ironic) used to emphasize an amount, a size, etc. usually when it is very small
- It must be all of 100 metres to the car!
all over
- everywhere
- We looked all over for the ring.
- (informal) what you would expect of the person mentioned
- That sounds like my sister all over.
all round (British English)
(North American English all around)
- in every way; in all respects
- a good performance all round
- for each person
- She bought drinks all round.
(not) all there
- (informal, usually offensive) (not) having a healthy mind; (not) thinking clearly
- My dog behaves very oddly at times—I don't think he's quite all there.
be all about somebody/something
- used to say what the most important aspect of something is
- It's all about money these days.
be all for something/for doing something
- (informal) to believe strongly that something should be done
- They're all for saving money where they can.
be all over somebody
- (informal, often disapproving) to show a lot of interest in or enthusiasm for somebody
- He was all over her at the party.
be all that
- (US English, informal) to be very attractive or impressive
- He thinks he's all that.
be all up (with somebody)
- (old-fashioned, informal) to be the end for somebody
- It looks as though it's all up with us now (= we are ruined, have no further chances, etc.).
Check pronunciation:
all