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the whole of (used in referring to quantity, extent, or duration):
all the cake; all the way; all year.
the whole number of (used in referring to individuals or particulars, taken collectively):
all students.
the greatest possible (used in referring to quality or degree):
with all due respect; with all speed.
every:
all kinds; all sorts.
any; any whatever:
beyond all doubt.
nothing but; only:
The coat is all wool.
dominated by or as if by the conspicuous possession or use of a particular feature:
The colt was all legs. They were all ears, listening attentively to everything she said.
Chiefly Pennsylvania German. all gone; consumed; finished:
The pie is all.
the whole quantity or amount:
He ate all of the peanuts. All are gone.
the whole number; every one:
all of us.
everything:
Is that all you want to say? All is lost.
one’s whole interest, energy, or property:
to give one’s all; to lose one’s all.
(often initial capital letter) the entire universe.
wholly; entirely; completely:
all alone.
only; exclusively:
He spent his income all on pleasure.
each; apiece:
The score was one all.
Archaic. even; just.
above all, before everything else; chiefly:
Above all, the little girl wanted a piano.
after all, in spite of the circumstances; notwithstanding:
He came in time after all.
all at once. (def 14).
all but, almost; very nearly:
These batteries are all but dead.
all in, Northern and Western U.S. very tired; exhausted:
We were all in at the end of the day.
all in all,

everything considered; in general:
All in all, her health is greatly improved.
altogether:
There were twelve absentees all in all.
everything; everything regarded as important:
Painting became his all in all.

all in hand, Printing, Journalism. (of the copy for typesetting a particular article, book, issue, etc.) in the possession of the compositor.
all in the wind, Nautical. too close to the wind.
all out, with all available means or effort:
We went all out to win the war.
all over,

finished; done; ended.
everywhere; in every part.
in every respect; typically.

all standing, Nautical.

in such a way and so suddenly that sails or engines are still set to propel a vessel forward:
The ship ran aground all standing.
fully clothed:
The crew turned in all standing.
fully equipped, as a vessel.

all that, remarkably; entirely; decidedly (used in negative constructions):
It’s not all that different from your other house.
all the better, more advantageous; so much the better:
If the sun shines it will be all the better for our trip.
all there, Informal. mentally competent; not insane or feeble-minded:
Some of his farfetched ideas made us suspect that he wasn’t all there.
all the same. (def 9).
all told. (def 2).
all up,

Printing, Journalism. (of copy) completely set in type.
Informal. with no vestige of hope remaining:
It’s all up with George—they’ve caught him.

and all, together with every other associated or connected attribute, object, or circumstance:
What with the snow and all, we may be a little late.
at all,

in the slightest degree:
I wasn’t surprised at all.
for any reason:
Why bother at all?
in any way:
no offense at all.

for all (that), in spite of; notwithstanding:
For all that, it was a good year.
in all, all included; all together:
a hundred guests in all.
once and for all, for the last time; finally:
The case was settled once and for all when the appeal was denied.
above in place or position:
the roof over one’s head.
above and to the other side of:
to leap over a wall.
above in authority, rank, power, etc., so as to govern, control, or have jurisdiction regarding:
There is no one over her in the department now.
so as to rest on or cover; on or upon:
Throw a sheet over the bed.
on or upon, so as to cause an apparent change in one’s mood, attitude, etc.:
I can’t imagine what has come over her.
on or on top of:
to hit someone over the head.
here and there on or in; about:
at various places over the country.
through all parts of; all through:
to roam over the estate; to show someone over the house.
to and fro on or in; across; throughout:
to travel all over Europe.
from one side to the other of; to the other side of; across:
to go over a bridge.
on the other side of; across:
lands over the sea.
reaching higher than, so as to submerge:
The water is over his shoulders.
in excess of; more than:
over a mile; not over five dollars.
above in degree, quantity, etc.:
a big improvement over last year’s turnout.
in preference to:
chosen over another applicant.
throughout the length of:
The message was sent over a great distance.
until after the end of:
to adjourn over the holidays.
throughout the duration of:
over a long period of years.
in reference to, concerning, or about:
to quarrel over a matter.
while engaged in or occupied with:
to fall asleep over one’s work.
via; by means of:
He told me over the phone. I heard it over the radio.
beyond the top or upper surface or edge of something:
a roof that hangs over.
so as to cover the surface, or affect the whole surface:
The furniture was covered over with dust.
through a region, area, etc.:
He was known the world over.
at some distance, as in a direction indicated:
They live over by the hill.
from side to side; across; to the other side:
to sail over.
across an intervening space:
Toss the ball over, will you?
across or beyond the edge or rim:
The soup boiled over. The bathtub ran over.
from beginning to end; throughout:
to read a paper over; Think it over.
from one person, party, etc., to another:
Hand the money over. He made the property over to his brother.
on the other side, as of a sea, a river, or any space:
over in Japan.
so as to displace from an upright position:
to knock over a glass of milk.
so as to put in the reversed position:
She turned the bottle over. The dog rolled over.
once more; again:
Do the work over.
in repetition or succession:
twenty times over.
in excess or addition:
to pay the full sum and something over.
in excess of or beyond a certain amount:
Five goes into seven once, with two over.
throughout or beyond a period of time:
to stay over till Monday.
to one’s residence, office, or the like:
Why don’t you come over for lunch?
so as to reach a place across an intervening space, body of water, etc.: Her ancestors came over on the Mayflower.
upper; higher up.
higher in authority, station, etc.
serving, or intended to serve, as an outer covering; outer.
remaining or additional, surplus; extra.
too great; excessive (usually used in combination):
Insufficient tact and overaggressiveness are two of his problems.
ended; done; past:
when the war was over.
an amount in excess or addition; extra.
Military. a shot that strikes or bursts beyond the target.
Cricket.

the number of balls, usually six, delivered between successive changes of bowlers.
the part of the game played between such changes.

to go or get over; leap over.
Southern U.S. to recover from.
(used in radio communications to signify that the sender has temporarily finished transmitting and is awaiting a reply or acknowledgment.)
Compare (def 53).
all over,

over the entire surface of; everywhere:
material printed all over with a floral design.
thoroughly; entirely.
finished:
The war was all over and the soldiers came home.

all over with, ended; finished:
It seemed miraculous that the feud was all over with.
over again, in repetition; once more:
The director had the choir sing one passage over again.
over against. (def 13).
over and above, in addition to; besides:
a profit over and above what they had anticipated.
over and over, several times; repeatedly:
They played the same record over and over.
over the hill. (def 11).
over there, Informal. (in the U.S. during and after World War I) in or to Europe:
Many of the boys who went over there never came back.
over with, finished or done:
Let’s get this thing over with, so that we don’t have to worry about it any more.
determiner

the whole quantity or amount of; totality of; every one of a class: all the rice, all men are mortal
(as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural): all of it is nice, all are welcome
(in combination with a noun used as a modifier): an all-ticket match, an all-amateur tournament, an all-night sitting

the greatest possible: in all earnestness
any whatever: to lose all hope of recovery, beyond all doubt
above all, most of all; especially
after all, See after (sense 11)
all along, all the time
all but, almost; nearly: all but dead
all of, no less or smaller than: she’s all of thirteen years
all over

finished; at an end: the affair is all over between us
over the whole area (of something); everywhere (in, on, etc): all over England
typically; representatively (in the phrase that’s me (you, him, us, them,etc) all over) Also (Irish) all out
unduly effusive towards
(sport) in a dominant position over

See all in
all in all

everything considered: all in all, it was a great success
the object of one’s attention or interest: you are my all in all

(usually used with a negative) (informal) all that, that, (intensifier): she’s not all that intelligent
(foll by a comparative adjective or adverb) all the, so much (more or less) than otherwise: we must work all the faster now
all too, definitely but regrettably: it’s all too true
and all

(Brit, informal) as well; too: and you can take that smile off your face and all
(South African) a parenthetical filler phrase used at the end of a statement to make a sl ight pause in speaking

(informal) and all that

and similar or associated things; et cetera: coffee, tea, and all that will be served in the garden
used as a filler or to make what precedes more vague: in this sense, it often occurs with concessive force: she was sweet and pretty and all that, but I still didn’t like her
See that (sense 4)

as all that, as one might expect or hope: she’s not as pretty as all that, but she has personality
at all

(used with a negative or in a question) in any way whatsoever or to any extent or degree: I didn’t know that at all
even so; anyway: I’m surprised you came at all

(informal) be all for, to be strongly in favour of
(informal, mainly US) be all that, to be exceptionally good, talented, or attractive
for all

in so far as; to the extent that: for all anyone knows, he was a baron
notwithstanding: for all my pushing, I still couldn’t move it

for all that, in spite of that: he was a nice man for all that
in all, altogether: there were five of them in all
adverb
(in scores of games) apiece; each: the score at half time was three all
completely: all alone
(informal) be all …, used for emphasis when introducing direct speech or nonverbal communication: he was all, ‘I’m not doing that’
noun
preceded by my, your, his, etc. (one’s) complete effort or interest: to give your all, you are my all
totality or whole
preposition
directly above; on the top of; via the top or upper surface of: over one’s head
on or to the other side of: over the river
during; through, or throughout (a period of time)
in or throughout all parts of: to travel over England
throughout the whole extent of: over the racecourse
above; in preference to: I like that over everything else
by the agency of (an instrument of telecommunication): we heard it over the radio
more than: over a century ago
on the subject of; about: an argument over nothing
while occupied in: discussing business over golf
having recovered from the effects of: she’s not over that last love affair yet
over and above, added to; in addition to: he earns a large amount over and above his salary
adverb
in a state, condition, situation, or position that is or has been placed or put over something: to climb over
(particle) so as to cause to fall: knocking over a policeman
at or to a point across intervening space, water, etc: come over and see us, over in America
throughout a whole area: the world over
(particle) from beginning to end, usually cursorily: to read a document over
throughout a period of time: stay over for this week
(esp in signalling and radio) it is now your turn to speak, act, etc
more than is expected or usual: not over well
over again, once more
over against

opposite to
contrasting with

(often foll by again) over and over, repeatedly
over the odds

in addition, esp when not expected
unfair or excessive

adjective
(postpositive) finished; no longer in progress: is the concert over yet?
adverb, adjective
remaining; surplus (often in the phrase left over)
noun
(cricket)

a series of six balls bowled by a bowler from the same end of the pitch
the play during this

prep.

Old English ofer “beyond, above, upon, in, across, past; on high,” from Proto-Germanic *uberi (cf. Old Saxon obar, Old Frisian over, Old Norse yfir, Old High German ubar, German über, Gothic ufar “over, above”), from PIE *uper (see super-). As an adjective from Old English uffera. As an adverb from late Old English. Sense of “finished” is attested from late 14c. Meaning “recovered from” is from 1929. In radio communication, used to indicate the speaker has finished speaking (1926). Adjective phrase over-the-counter is attested from 1875, originally of stocks and shares.

Old English eall “all, every, entire,” from Proto-Germanic *alnaz (cf. Old Frisian, Old High German al, Old Norse allr, Gothic alls), with no certain connection outside Germanic.

Combinations with all meaning “wholly, without limit” were common in Old English (e.g. eall-halig “all-holy,” eall-mihtig “all-mighty”) and the method continued to form new compound words throughout the history of English. First record of all out “to one’s full powers” is 1880. All-terrain vehicle first recorded 1968. All clear as a signal of “no danger” is recorded from 1902. All right, indicative of approval, is attested from 1953.

Related Terms

have it all over someone or something

Related Terms

the once-over
acute lymphocytic leukemia
Albania-lek (currency)
Everywhere. The phrase may be used alone, as in I’ve looked all over for that book, or The very thought of poison ivy makes me itch all over. In addition it can be used as a preposition, meaning “throughout,” as in The news spread all over town. [ Early 1600s ]
Also see: far and wide
In all respects, as in He is his Aunt Mary all over. Charles Lamb had this usage in a letter (1799) about a poem: “The last lines … are Burns all over.” [ Early 1700s ]
Also,all over again. Again from the beginning. For example, They’re going to play the piece all over, or Do you mean you’re starting all over again? [ Mid-1500s ]
Also,
all over with
. Quite finished, completed, as in
By the time I arrived the game was all over
, or
Now that she passed the test, her problems are all over with
. This phrase uses
over
in the sense of “finished,” a usage dating from the 1300s. Also see

all over but the shouting
have it (all over)

, def. 4.

all along
all along the line
all and sundry
all at once
all at sea
all better
all but
all cylinders
all ears
all else being equal
all eyes
all for
all for the best
all gone
all hours
all in a day’s work
all in all
all in good time
all in one piece
all in, be
all joking aside
all kinds of
all of
all of a sudden
all of the above
all one
all out
all outdoors, big as
all over
all over but the shouting
all over one
all over the place
all over with
all present and accounted for
all right
all right for you
all right with one
all roads lead to Rome
all set
all sewed up
all shook up
all sorts
all systems go
all talk (and no action)
all that
all that glitters is not gold
all the
all the best
all the better
all the rage
all the same
all the thing
all the time
all the way
all the worse
all there
all things to all people, be
all thumbs
all to the good
all told
all up
all very well
all well and good
all wet
all wool and a yard wide
all work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy)
all year round

also see:

above all
after all
against all odds
as all getout
at all
at all costs
be-all and end-all
beat all
by all accounts
by all means
by all odds
cap it all
fall all over
firing on all cylinders
first of all
for all
for all I care
for all I know
for all one’s worth
for all that
get away (from it all)
get one’s act (it all) together
go all the way
have all one’s buttons
have it all over someone
have it both ways (all)
hit on all cylinders
hold all the aces
in a (all of a) dither
in all
in all good conscience
in all one’s born days
in all probability
(all) in the same boat
it’s all downhill from here
it’s all over with
it takes all sorts
jump all over
know all the answers
know-it-all
laugh all the way to the bank
least of all
let it all hang out
not all it’s cracked up to be
not at all
not for all the tea in china
no time at all
of all the nerve
of all things
once and for all
one and all
pull out all the stops
put all one’s eggs in one basket
seen one, seen them all
till all hours
to all intents and purposes
(all) to the good
turn out all right
walk all over
warts and all
when all’s said and done
with all due respect
with all one’s heart
you can’t win them all

over a barrel
over again
over against
over and above
over and done with
over and over
over my dead body
over one’s head
over the edge
over the hill
over the hump
over the top
over with

also see:
all over
(and entries beginning with

all over)
bend over backward
bind over
blow over
boil over
bowl over
carry over
check on (over)
chew the cud (over)
cloud over
come over
cross over
crow over
cry over spilt milk
do over
draw a veil over
drop by (over)
fall all over
fork over
fuck over
get over
get the advantage of (over)
give over
gloss over
go over
hand over
hand over fist
hang over
hash over
have a hold over
have it (all over someone)
head over heels
hold over
honeymoon is over
in deep water (over one’s head)
it’s all over with
jump all over
keel over
keep watch (over)
kick over the traces
knock for a loop (over with a feather)
knock over
lay over
look like death (warmed over)
look over
lord it over
lose sleep over
make over
mind over matter
mull over
once over lightly
paper over
party’s over
pass over
pick over
pull over
pull the wool over someone’s eyes
put over
rake over the coals
ride roughshod over
roll over
roof over one’s head
run one’s eyes over
run over
scoot over
sign over
sleep over
smooth over
stand over
start over
stop off (over)
take over
talk over
think over
throw over
tide over
till hell freezes over
turn in (over) one’s grave
turn over
turn over a new leaf
walk all over
watch over
water over the dam
win over
work over