all
all Lexical Profile
all Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Used to refer to the whole quantity, extent, or duration of a particular group or thing.
"She spent all day preparing the financial report for the board meeting."
Every individual member or unit of a specified class or collection.
"All students must register for their autumn classes by Friday afternoon."
The greatest possible; utmost (used before abstract nouns).
"In all honesty, the new software architecture is much more reliable than the old one."
• adverb
Completely; entirely; to the fullest extent.
"He dressed all in black for the formal evening concert."
For each side or competitor in a game or sport (used to indicate an equal score).
"The tennis match was tied at three games all in the final set."
• pronoun
The whole quantity, number, or amount of a group or thing; every one of a class.
"All of the delegates voted in favor of the environmental treaty."
Everything; the whole situation or circumstance.
"All is quiet in the library as the students prepare for their final exams."
The only thing; nothing more than.
"All I ask is that you arrive on time for the rehearsal."
• noun
One's whole strength, energy, resources, or possessions (usually preceded by a possessive determiner).
"The athletes gave their all during the championship tournament."
Word Nuance & Usage
When functioning as a pronoun, 'all' takes a singular verb when referring to a single concept or uncountable mass (e.g., 'all is forgiven'), and a plural verb when referring to a countable group of individuals or items (e.g., 'all are welcome'). Do not confuse with its homophone 'awl', which is a pointed tool used for piercing leather or wood.
• Rhymes for all
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English eall ('every, entire, the whole amount of'), derived from Proto-Germanic *allaz, which is cognate with Old Norse allr, Dutch al, and German all.