all

alternative alternative a' · alternative obsolete al

1. 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 flesh is originally grass.

   5 more examples

   All contestants must register for the footrace: we've arranged numbers for them all.

   List all books of which you were the sole or co-author.

   All (the) three of my nephews adore classical music.

   Beautie alone is a ſoveraigne remedy againſt feare,griefe,and all melancholy fits; a charm,as Peter de la Seine and many other writers affirme,a banquet it ſelfe;he gives inſtance in diſcontented Menelaus that was ſo often freed by Helenas faire face: and ʰTully, 3 Tusc. cites Epicurus as a chiefe patron of this Tenent.

   1638, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy. […], 5th edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [Robert Young, Miles Flesher, and Leonard Lichfield and William Turner] for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition II, section 2, member 6, subsection iv, page 298

   In former days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or society, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass. In this way all respectable burgesses, down to fifty years ago, spent their evenings.

   1892, Walter Besant, chapter III, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC

2. 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.

   1 more example

   The store is open all day and all night.

3. Only; alone; nothing but.

   He's all talk; he never puts his ideas into practice.

   1 more example

   I was born to speak all mirth and no matter.

   1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]

4. obsoleteAny.

   without all remedy

   c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]

alternative alternative a' · alternative obsolete al

1. Everything.

   Some gave all they had.

   5 more examples

   She knows all and sees all.

   All of Jones’s maneuvers to trounce Kennedy.

   All is not well at home lately.

   Those who think they know it all are annoying to those of us who do.

   Now all this was very fine, but not at all in keeping with the Celebrity's character as I had come to conceive it. The idea that adulation ever cloyed on him was ludicrous in itself. In fact I thought the whole story fishy, and came very near to saying so.

   1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter III, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC

2. Everyone.

   We all enjoyed the movie.

   3 more examples

   A good time was had by all (of you/us/them).

   I've got three children, of whom all are studying medicine.

   Hey all, just a quick note as I am trying to do 46 things at once and slow down a touch all at once…

   2012 October 9, Amy Hauser, Tom Hauser, chapter 7, in Marge Thompson, Frankie M. Leisering, editors, In His Grip … a Walk Through Breast Cancer, WestBow Press, →ISBN, page 39

3. The only thing(s).

   We ate potatoes and ziti .... that's all.

   1 more example

   All that was left was a small pile of ash.

4. IndiaNorthern IrelandScotlandSouthern USSouth Midland USUsed after who, what, where, how and similar words, either without changing their meaning, or indicating that one expects that they cover more than one element, e.g. that "Who all attended?" is more than one person. (Some dialects only allow this to follow some words and not others.)

   Q. Now, then, when you started to go to stake the claims, who all went along?

   1904 October 10, Shea v. Nilima, [US] Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in 1905, Reports Containing the Cases Determined in All the Circuits from the Organization of the Courts, page 266

   3 more examples

   "I mean, you could have called us—collect, o'course—jes' to let us know how-all it's a-goin'."

   1998, Paul D. Staudohar, editor, Football's Best Short Stories, section 107

   "Where all did he go? What exactly was his job?" Gary shrugged and produced a weak laugh. "I reckon the Middle East. Ain't that where all the oil is?"

   2002, Richard Haddock, Arkalalah, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 73

   "Do you ever ask me what I want to see? Or ask me about where all I've gone, who all I've met, what all I've done? Never. Not for one second. And why? Because you don't give two hoops about me."

   2011, Moni Mohsin, Tender Hooks, Random House India, →ISBN

alternative alternative a' · alternative obsolete al

1. childishemphaticintensifiernot comparablesometimesWholly; entirely; completely; totally.

   She was sitting all alone. It suddenly went all quiet. I'm all done, Mommy! I did it all by myself.

   2 more examples

   'Tis mystery all: th'Immortal dies

   1738, Charles Wesley, “And can it be that I should gain”, in John Wesley, editor, A Collection of Psalms and Hymns, Charlestown: Lewis Timothy, →OCLC

   The parson, all unaware, dully pursued his calling, perched above the exquisite derision of their glances.

   1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 127

2. not comparableApiece; each.

   The score was 30 all when the rain delay started.

3. not comparabledegreeSo much; used with "the" and a comparative.

   Don't want to go? All the better since I lost the tickets.

   1 more example

   If he leave the company, I'll have to work all the harder.

4. not comparableobsoletepoeticEven; just.

   All as his straying flock he fed.

   1579, Edmund Spenser, The Shepheardes Calender, London: Hugh Singleton, →OCLC

   1 more example

   A damsel lay deploring / All on a rock reclined.

   1715, John Gay, What D’ye Call It?, London: Bernard Lintott, →OCLC

5. not comparableA quotative particle, compare like.

   She was all, “Whatever.”

   1 more example

   So I go to my stepdad and me and him got into a fight. And I was all "Well, I don't got to stay here," and he says, "No you don't, get out of here," and I go "I will, I hate you!" And I ran.

   1991, Elliott Currie, “Cindi Richardson”, in Dope and Trouble: Portraits of Delinquent Youth, Pantheon Books, page 121

plural alls · alternative alternative a' · alternative obsolete al

1. countableuncountableEverything that one is capable of.

   She gave her all, and collapsed at the finish line.

2. countableThe 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. […] I packed up my little all as well as I could, and went off.

3. countableuncountableEverything in general; all that matters.

   I will die fighting for my people, because my people are all.

   1 more example

   All are one and one is all.

   1992, Bruce Coville, My Teacher Flunked the Planet

   Synonyms: all in all

alternative alternative a' · alternative obsolete al

1. obsoleteAlthough.

   And those two froward sisters, their faire loves, / Came with them eke, all they were wondrous loth.

   1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, volume 2, London: Ponsonbie, →OCLC

alternative alternative a' · alternative obsolete al

1. PennsylvaniadialectalAll gone; dead.

   The butter is all.

plural ALLs

1. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountableanatomyInitialism of anterolateral ligament.
2. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountablehematologyInitialism of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

   In children, leukemia was most commonly ALL—lymphoblastic leukemia—and was almost always swiftly lethal.

   2010, Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Emperor of All Maladies, Fourth Estate (2011), page 17

1. UKabbreviationacronymhistoricalgovernmentAcronym of Alliance for Local Living.