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).
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).
Phrases and idioms:
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.
Etymology: OE all, eall, prob. f. Gmc