all

/ˈȯl/

Middle English al, all, alle, going back to Old English eall (West Saxon), all (Anglian), going back to Germanic *alla- (whence also Old Frisian al, alle "the whole of," Old Saxon all, Old High German al, all, Old Norse allr, Gothic alls), probably going back to *al-no- or *ol-no-, derivative of a base *ala-/*ola- seen in compounds (as Old English ælmihtig , Old Saxon alohwīt "completely white," Old High German alawāri "quite true," Gothic alabrunsts "burnt offering," calque of Greek holokaútōma), of uncertain origin

adjective

  1. the whole amount, quantity, or extent of

  2. as much as possible

  3. every member or individual component of

needed all the courage they had

spoke in all seriousness

whole entire total all mean including everything or everyone without exception. whole implies that nothing has been omitted, ignored, abated, or taken away. entire may suggest a state of completeness or perfection to which nothing can be added.

adverb

  1. wholly, quite —often used as an intensive

  2. selected as the best (as at a sport) within an area or organization —used in combination

  3. only, exclusively

sat all alone

pronoun

  1. the whole number, quantity, or amount : totality

  2. —used in such phrases as for all I know, for all I care, and for all the good it does to indicate a lack of knowledge, interest, or effectiveness

  3. everybody, everything

all that I have