all Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective quantifier; used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
    • we sat up all night
    • ate all the food
    • all men are mortal
    • all parties are welcome
  2. adjective satellite completely given to or absorbed by
    • became all attention
  3. adverb to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (`whole' is often used informally for `wholly')
    whole; wholly; completely; altogether; entirely; totally.
    • he was wholly convinced
    • entirely satisfied with the meal
    • it was completely different from what we expected
    • was completely at fault
    • a totally new situation
    • the directions were all wrong
    • it was not altogether her fault
    • an altogether new approach
    • a whole new idea

WordNet

All adjective
Etymology
OE. al, pl. alle, AS. eal, pl. ealle, Northumbrian alle, akin to D. & OHG. al, Ger. all, Icel. allr. Dan. al, Sw. all, Goth. alls; and perh. to Ir. and Gael. uile, W. oll.
Definitions
  1. The whole quantity, extent, duration, amount, quality, or degree of; the whole; the whole number of; any whatever; every; as, all the wheat; all the land; all the year; all the strength; all happiness; all abundance; loss of all power; beyond all doubt; you will see us all (or all of us).
    Prove all things: hold fast that which is good. 1 Thess. v. 21.
  2. Any. Obs. "Without all remedy." Shak. ✍ When the definite article "the," or a possessive or a demonstrative pronoun, is joined to the noun that all qualifies, all precedes the article or the pronoun; as, all the cattle; all my labor; all his wealth; all our families; all your citizens; all their property; all other joys. This word, not only in popular language, but in the Scriptures, often signifies, indefinitely, a large portion or number, or a great part. Thus, all the cattle in Egypt died, all Judea and all the region round about Jordan, all men held John as a prophet, are not to be understood in a literal sense, but as including a large part, or very great numbers.
  3. Only; alone; nothing but.
    I was born to speak all mirth and no matter. Shak.
    Shak.
All adverb
Definitions
  1. Wholly; completely; altogether; entirely; quite; very; as, all bedewed; my friend is all for amusement. "And cheeks all pale." Byron. ✍ In the ancient phrases, all too dear, all too much, all so long, etc., this word retains its appropriate sense or becomes intensive.
  2. Even; just. (Often a mere intensive adjunct.) Obs. or Poet.
    All as his straying flock he fed. Spenser.
    A damsel lay deploring All on a rock reclined. Gay.
All noun
Definitions
  1. The whole number, quantity, or amount; the entire thing; everything included or concerned; the aggregate; the whole; totality; everything or every person; as, our all is at stake.
    Death, as the Psalmist saith, is certain to all. Shak.
    All that thou seest is mine. Gen. xxxi. 43.
    All is used with of, like a partitive; as, all of a thing, all of us. ✍ All is much used in composition to enlarge the meaning, or add force to a word. In some instances, it is completely incorporated into words, and its final consonant is dropped, as in almighty, already, always: but, in most instances, it is an adverb prefixed to adjectives or participles, but usually with a hyphen, as, all-bountiful, all-glorious, allimportant, all-surrounding, etc. In others it is an adjective; as, allpower, all-giver. Anciently many words, as, alabout, alaground, etc., were compounded with all, which are now written separately.
All conjunction
Etymology
Orig. all, adv., wholly: used with though or if, which being dropped before the subjunctive left all as if in the sense although.
Definitions
  1. Although; albeit. Obs.
    All they were wondrous loth. Spenser.

Webster 1913