all
all — noun
1. the total amount of effort, strength, or energy that a person can put into a tas
the total amount of effort, strength, or energy that a person can put into a task — the maximum someone has to give.
Noa gave her all during the marathon and collapsed past the finish line.
give one's all + during [activity]
The young pianist offered her all to the audience at the Chopin contest in Warsaw.
offer one's all + to + audience
The firefighters gave their all to rescue the family trapped on the third floor of the burning apartment.
give one's all + to-infinitive of purpose
Coach Liu told the players to leave their all on the basketball court before the final whistle blew.
leave one's all on [field/court] for total effort
After thirty years of service, Grandfather felt he had given his all to the company.
have given one's all to [recipient]
- give one's all
- offer one's all
- leave one's all on the field
- donate one's all
- best
very close in meaning ('give one's best'), slightly more common in everyday speech.
- utmost
more formal; emphasises the highest possible level of effort.
- everything
broader; can refer to objects or effort, but lacks the fixed 'one's ___' pattern.
- nothing
the complete absence of effort or contribution.
Grammar Patterns
give one's all
do one's all
Usage Note
Almost always appears with a possessive determiner (my/his/her/their all) and verbs of effort or sacrifice such as give, offer, donate, or leave. Distinguish from the pronoun sense ('all of it / everyone'), which refers to total quantity rather than personal commitment.
Common Mistakes
all — adjective
1. attaching to a noun phrase that already carries a determiner ('the', 'this', 'my
attaching to a noun phrase that already carries a determiner ('the', 'this', 'my', 'his') or to a fixed time noun, to mark that the speaker means the full extent of that already-identified group or period — as in 'all the cookies', 'all his savings', or 'all morning'.
Noa ate all the cookies before her brother came home from school.
all + the + plural noun for a complete set
Yusuf spent all his savings on a second-hand motorbike.
all + possessive + uncountable noun
All the students in Room 4 stood up when the headmaster walked in.
all + the + plural noun as subject
It rained all morning, so Imani stayed inside and read her novel.
all + time-period noun for full duration
Grandfather Lin has mended fishing nets in this small village near Keelung all his life.
all + possessive + life/time noun
- all the time
- all day / all night / all morning / all year
- all his life
- all the way
- all the people
- every
'every' takes a singular noun ('every cookie'); 'all' takes plural or uncountable
- the whole
'the whole' works with singular countable nouns ('the whole cake'); 'all' prefers plural/uncountable
- the entire
more emphatic and slightly more formal than 'all'
Grammar Patterns
all + (the/this/my) + noun
all + plural noun
all + uncountable noun
Usage Note
When used as an adjective, 'all' sits directly before a noun phrase that is already specified by a determiner (the, this, my, his) or before a plural/uncountable noun. Distinguish from determiner/1, where 'all' alone introduces the noun phrase ('all children'); here 'all' attaches to an already-defined group ('all the children').
Common Mistakes
2. in fixed phrases like 'all ears' or 'all smiles', describing someone whose whole
in fixed phrases like 'all ears' or 'all smiles', describing someone whose whole attention, feeling, or appearance is taken up by one thing at that moment.
Sofia leaned across the kitchen table and said, 'Tell me about the date — I'm all ears.'
fixed phrase: be all ears = listening eagerly
When the magician pulled out the rabbit, the children were all eyes.
fixed phrase: be all eyes = watching with full attention
Grandma was all smiles when she opened the birthday card from Lisa.
fixed phrase: be all smiles = looking very happy
Coach Otto is strict on the field, but off it he is all heart.
fixed phrase: be all heart = very kind and generous
When the manager announced the bonus, the staff were all smiles for the rest of the afternoon.
fixed phrase: be all smiles after good news
- all ears
- all eyes
- all smiles
- all heart
- all thumbs
- all attention
- distracted
the opposite state — attention pulled away
- indifferent
shows no interest at all
Grammar Patterns
be + all + body-part noun (all ears, all eyes, all smiles)
be + all + abstract noun (all heart, all attention)
Usage Note
Almost always predicative (after 'be', 'seem', 'look') and almost always in fixed expressions: all ears, all eyes, all smiles, all heart, all thumbs. Cannot be placed before the noun in this sense — you cannot say 'an all-ears listener'. Distinguish from sense 1: here 'all' describes a person's state, not a quantity of something.
Common Mistakes
all — adverb
1. completely or totally — placed before an adjective, an adverb of place, or a pas
completely or totally — placed before an adjective, an adverb of place, or a past participle to stress that the described state fully covers the subject ('all wet', 'all alone', 'all gone'); unlike sense 4, which works only inside fixed phrases at clause level, this sense modifies a single word.
Noa finished her math homework, and her bag was all packed for school.
all + past participle for fully done
After the rainstorm, the picnic blanket was all wet and covered in mud.
all + adjective intensifying degree
Grandpa lives all alone in a small cabin near the lake.
fixed phrase: all alone
The chocolate cake was all gone before Luis got back from the kitchen.
all + gone for fully consumed
Her hands were all dirty after planting tomatoes in the garden.
- all alone
- all gone
- all wet
- all dirty
- all finished
- all done
- completely
neutral and slightly more formal than 'all'
- entirely
stronger emphasis on without exception
- totally
informal, often spoken
Grammar Patterns
all + adjective
all + past participle
all + adverb of place
Usage Note
Modifies an adjective, adverb, or past participle — not a verb directly. Distinguish from sense 4 (manner: 'in every aspect') and from determiner senses (which precede a noun phrase).
Common Mistakes
2. placed right after a number in a game's score to show each side has reached the
placed right after a number in a game's score to show each side has reached the same total.
At halftime the score was two all, so the coach told us to keep pressing.
score + all for tied scoreline
It's thirty all in the third game, and Serena needs one more point to break.
tennis scoring: thirty all
The basketball quarter ended six all between the Tigers and the Eagles.
After ninety minutes the match finished one all, and the teams headed for extra time.
match result: one all
- two all
- thirty all
- one all
- deuce all
Grammar Patterns
number + all
Usage Note
Spoken almost only in sports commentary, scoreboards, and casual game talk. Always follows the number directly with no preposition. Subject is usually a score, a match, or a game state.
Common Mistakes
3. very nearly — usually appearing in the fixed phrase 'all but' before an adjectiv
very nearly — usually appearing in the fixed phrase 'all but' before an adjective or past participle, to say something is so close to a state that the difference does not matter.
By midnight the candles were all but burned out, leaving just two flickering wicks.
all but + past participle for near-completion
After three losses in a row, the team's playoff hopes were all but dead.
all but + adjective for near certainty
The old library on Pine Street has been all but forgotten by the younger residents.
Heavy snow had all but covered the wooden bridge, leaving only the handrails visible.
all but + verb participle for near totality
- all but forgotten
- all but impossible
- all but certain
- all but dead
- all but over
- nearly
more neutral, fits everyday speech
- virtually
similar register, slightly more formal
- practically
informal, often spoken
- not at all
the opposite end of the scale
Grammar Patterns
all but + adjective
all but + past participle
Usage Note
Almost always in the fixed pattern 'all but + adjective/participle' in formal writing such as news reports and analysis. Without 'but', this sense rarely surfaces. Distinguish from sense 1 (which means fully, not nearly).
Common Mistakes
4. appearing inside the set phrases 'all the same' (= still, despite that), 'all th
appearing inside the set phrases 'all the same' (= still, despite that), 'all things considered' (= after weighing every factor), and 'all told' (= counting everyone or everything), where the speaker steps back to comment on the whole situation rather than modify a single word.
It was raining hard, but Lucia decided to walk to the bookshop all the same.
fixed phrase: all the same
All things considered, the school trip to Tainan went better than the teachers had expected.
fixed phrase: all things considered
The twins are quite different, but Ilya loves them both all the same.
all the same showing equal regard
All told, fourteen volunteers signed up to clean the riverbank on Saturday morning.
fixed phrase: all told (giving a final count)
- all the same
- all things considered
- all told
- nonetheless
more formal alternative to 'all the same'
- in total
close to 'all told' when summing a count
Grammar Patterns
all + comparative phrase
all + the + noun
Usage Note
Restricted to the set phrases 'all the same', 'all things considered', and 'all told'. The summarising opener 'all in all' is treated under determiner/4 rather than here. Distinguish from adverb/1, which means 'fully' or 'completely' before an adjective; this sense modifies a whole clause.
Common Mistakes
5. to a greater degree because of a particular reason — used in 'all the + comparat
to a greater degree because of a particular reason — used in 'all the + comparative' to push the comparison further when a fresh fact strengthens it.
The hot chocolate tasted all the better after our long walk through the snow.
all the + comparative for added emphasis
Knowing that Grandma made the dumplings herself made them all the more special.
all the more + adjective
The garden looked all the prettier with the morning sunlight on the wet leaves.
Diego practiced for two extra hours, so his performance on Friday was all the stronger.
all the + comparative tied to a cause
- all the better
- all the more
- all the worse
- all the harder
- all the stronger
- even more
more neutral, less stylized
- still more
literary, slightly old-fashioned
- all the less
opposite direction in the same pattern
Grammar Patterns
all the + comparative
all the more + adjective
all the better/worse
Usage Note
Always followed by 'the' plus a comparative form (better, worse, more interesting, harder). Usually points to a specific reason that lifts the quality. Different from sense 1, which is about full degree, not extra degree.
Common Mistakes
all — determiner
1. placed directly in front of a bare plural or uncountable noun ('all children', '
placed directly in front of a bare plural or uncountable noun ('all children', 'all water') to introduce it and mark every member or the whole amount, without first naming the group through 'the', 'my', or another article.
All the students in Mrs. Wong's class passed the math exam.
all + the + plural noun
Ilya drank all the milk before his sister came home from school.
all + the + uncountable noun
All children at the Sunshine Daycare in Taichung get a warm bowl of rice porridge before nine each morning.
all + bare plural for every member of a group
Imani spent all her birthday money on a new pair of skates.
all + possessive + noun
It rained heavily all morning, so Mrs. Patel moved the school picnic from the playground into the gym.
all + singular time noun for whole period
- all the time
- all day long
- all year round
- all my life
Grammar Patterns
all + (the/this/my) + noun
all + plural noun
Usage Note
Followed by either a plural countable noun (all books) or an uncountable noun (all water). With a singular time noun (all day, all night, all week), it means throughout the whole period.
Common Mistakes
2. the single thing that exists, matters, or is needed in a situation, with nothing
the single thing that exists, matters, or is needed in a situation, with nothing else added.
All Yusuf wanted for his birthday was a quiet dinner with his family.
all + S + V + was + noun phrase
All you have to do is press the green button and wait.
all + S + V + is + to-infinitive (giving simple instructions)
Noa kept her old watch because it was all she had left of her grandmother.
all + S + V (referring back to a single item)
After two hours of searching, all the team found was an empty box.
all + S + V + was + noun (limiting result)
- all I want
- all you need
- all you have to do
- the only thing
more explicit; can replace 'all' here without changing meaning
- nothing but
stronger limiting force; 'nothing but trouble'
Grammar Patterns
all (that) S + V + is/was + N
all S + V + is + to-infinitive
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense always limits — it implies 'and nothing more'. The verb following 'all (that)...' is singular even when the meaning seems plural.
Common Mistakes
3. every person or thing in a group apart from the one named immediately afterwards
every person or thing in a group apart from the one named immediately afterwards.
All the guests but Daniel arrived before the wedding started.
all + noun + but + excluded person
The fire damaged all the houses on the street but the one on the corner.
all + noun + but + excluded item
All the climbers in the team but Hiro reached the summit of Mount Fuji before the snowstorm hit at noon.
all + the + plural + but + named exception
The shop had sold all its bread but two small rolls by lunchtime.
all + noun + but + remaining items
- all but one
- all but two
- all but a few
- every ... except
more explicit and slightly less formal
- all except
interchangeable; 'all except John'
Grammar Patterns
all but + noun phrase
Usage Note
Almost always paired with 'but' in this sense. Don't confuse with the adverb 'all but' (= almost), which modifies a verb or adjective rather than a noun.
Common Mistakes
4. appearing only inside the fixed sentence-opener 'all in all', signalling that th
appearing only inside the fixed sentence-opener 'all in all', signalling that the speaker is now wrapping up the points just discussed and moving to a single overall verdict on the situation. Other balancing phrases such as 'all things considered' belong to adverb/4.
All in all, the school trip to Kyoto was a great success.
all in all (sentence opener)
There were a few problems with the new café, but all in all, Sofia was happy with the opening night.
all in all (after a contrast clause)
The hotel was small and the wifi slow, but all in all, the family enjoyed the week.
all in all + concluding judgement
All in all, moving to Taipei was the best decision Mr. Lee ever made.
all in all (fronted summary)
- all in all, it was
- but all in all
- overall
single-word equivalent; slightly more neutral
- on the whole
very close in meaning; slightly more formal
Grammar Patterns
all in all, S + V
Usage Note
Always used as the fixed expression 'all in all', usually at the start of a sentence or after 'but'. Signals that the speaker is summing up after weighing positives and negatives.
Common Mistakes
5. added to a remark to make it sound gentler, often by reminding the listener of a
added to a remark to make it sound gentler, often by reminding the listener of a fact that explains or excuses something.
Don't be too hard on Daniel — he's only seven, after all.
after all (end of clause, softening criticism)
After all, nobody expected Chef Wei to please every diner on his opening night.
after all (sentence opener, easing a negative judgement)
Mr. Park should give the rowing team more time; the boys only started training in March, after all.
after all (excusing a shortfall)
It's not really Noa's fault the wedding cake collapsed in the kitchen — she's a baking beginner, after all.
after all (defending someone)
- he's only ..., after all
- after all, nobody
- you have to remember
spells out the reasoning more explicitly
- don't forget
informal alternative; signals an excusing reason
Grammar Patterns
after all, S + V
S + V, after all
Usage Note
Distinguish from the time-related 'after all' meaning 'in the end, despite expectations' (e.g. 'She came after all'). This sense is purely about softening — it gives a reason to excuse or downplay.
Common Mistakes
6. highlighting that a strikingly small or insufficient amount is in fact the entir
highlighting that a strikingly small or insufficient amount is in fact the entire stock someone owns or has left — the focus is on the shortage itself, not just the limit. Compare determiner/2, which simply names the only thing in play without implying the amount is meagre.
Two coins and a bus ticket were all Aunt Rosa had in her purse that morning.
all + S + had (limiting a small amount)
A loaf of bread and some cheese — that's all the food the campers had left for the weekend.
all + the + noun (small remaining amount)
Three faded photos and a wooden spoon are all Mr. Park has left of his childhood home in Busan.
all + S + has left + of (small remaining amount)
Five dollars was all the money Lena had to feed her family until Friday.
all + the + uncountable noun (small total)
- all I had
- all that was left
- all the money
- the only ... left
more explicit; emphasises shortage
- nothing more than
stronger limiting force
Grammar Patterns
all + S + has/have + is + small noun phrase
Usage Note
Overlaps with sense 2 in form, but here the focus is specifically on a small or insufficient amount being someone's total. Often appears with concrete possessions or money.
Common Mistakes
Used to refer to other similar things without naming them all.
We talked about school, homework, and all that stuff.
She bought a dress, shoes, and all that jazz.
for all
idiomDespite something; used to show that something is true even though something else might suggest the opposite.
For all his money, he is not happy.
For all I know, she might be in Paris now.
Not very good, well, or to a great degree.
The movie was not all that interesting.
He doesn't play the piano all that well.
Not as much as people say or think.
The exam wasn't as hard as all that.
She didn't sing as badly as all that.
of all the…
idiomUsed to express anger or annoyance about something.
Of all the stupid things to say!
Of all the luck, my car broke down today.
Used to express surprise because someone or something is the least expected.
You, of all people, should understand.
He, of all people, won the lottery.
In or from every direction; everywhere.
The soldiers were attacked from all sides.
She received criticism from every side.
all — pronoun
1. standing on its own as a noun-like word, typically followed by 'of' + a noun phr
standing on its own as a noun-like word, typically followed by 'of' + a noun phrase ('all of the strawberries', 'all of them') or by a relative clause ('all I had'), to point to the entire amount, number, or share of something already in mind.
Noa ate all of the strawberries before her sister came home from school.
pattern: all of + noun phrase
The fishermen lost all of their nets in the storm last night.
I gave the puppies all I had in my lunchbox — three slices of chicken.
pattern: all + relative clause (all I had)
The students raised their hands, all of them eager to answer Mr. Chen's question.
pattern: all of + pronoun in apposition
Yusuf kept some coins for himself and shared all of the rest with his cousins.
- all of them
- all of the above
- all of it
- lose all
- give all
- everything
for non-count things; cannot be followed by 'of + plural' the same way
- the whole lot
informal; refers to a known group or amount
- the entirety
formal; abstract or written register
Grammar Patterns
all of + noun/pronoun
noun + all (in apposition)
Usage Note
Used on its own as a noun-like word, unlike the determiner sense which sits directly before a noun (compare 'all the strawberries' as a determiner with 'all of the strawberries' as a pronoun + 'of').
Common Mistakes
2. every individual member of a group — picturing the people or items one by one as
every individual member of a group — picturing the people or items one by one as a complete set (unlike pronoun/1, which treats them as a single mass with 'all of'); typically literary or in fixed phrases like 'one and all' or 'for all'.
When the bell rang, all rose to their feet and sang the school anthem.
literary register: all + plural verb
On the tiny island of Lanyu, all knew the old lighthouse keeper by his first name.
literary register: all + plural verb (= everyone)
The judge said justice should be the same for all, rich or poor.
fixed phrase: for all
All who entered the temple removed their shoes at the wooden gate.
pattern: all + relative clause (all who...)
Grandma packed sweet rice cakes, and all were eaten before lunch.
- all who
- for all
- all were
- one and all
- everyone
the natural everyday word for every person
- everybody
informal equivalent of 'everyone'
- everything
for objects or ideas rather than people
Grammar Patterns
all + verb (plural agreement)
all + relative clause
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names every member of a group as people/things in their own right, while sense 1 names the full quantity of one mass or set. Often slightly formal or literary; everyday speech prefers 'everyone' or 'everybody'.
Common Mistakes
all — prefix
1. joined with a noun (often by a hyphen) to build an adjective that means every ty
joined with a noun (often by a hyphen) to build an adjective that means every type of that thing, or that thing in its entire range — for example, an all-weather coat works in any weather, and an all-purpose cleaner is made for any cleaning job.
Noa bought an all-weather jacket for her hiking trip in Scotland.
all- + noun → adjective: 'all-weather'
The school built an all-purpose hall for sports, exams, and concerts.
every type of use: 'all-purpose'
Yusuf drives an all-terrain vehicle through the desert each weekend.
The Hsieh family fitted all-season tyres on their car before driving up to Hehuanshan last winter.
all- + noun → adjective: 'all-season'
The chef recommends an all-purpose flour for both bread and cookies.
- all-weather
- all-purpose
- all-terrain
- all-season
- all-day
Grammar Patterns
all- + noun → adjective
Usage Note
Almost always written with a hyphen before the noun base (all-weather, all-purpose, all-terrain). The combined form behaves as an adjective in front of another noun.
Common Mistakes
2. linked to an adjective or an -ing word to show that something includes everyone
linked to an adjective or an -ing word to show that something includes everyone or everything — an all-inclusive holiday, for instance, covers food, drink, and activities for every guest, and an all-knowing narrator seems aware of every character's thoughts.
The Lin family booked an all-inclusive resort in Bali for their honeymoon.
all- + adjective: 'all-inclusive' covers everyone and everything
Children often picture God as an all-knowing figure in the sky.
all- + present participle: 'all-knowing'
The United Nations report offers an all-encompassing review of rising sea levels along the Pacific coast since 1990.
all- + present participle: 'all-encompassing' = covering everything
Mrs. Otto is famous on her street for her all-embracing welcome to every new family that moves in.
all- + present participle: 'all-embracing' = including everyone
In the old fairy tale, the all-powerful king ruled every village from his marble palace.
all- + adjective: 'all-powerful' = supreme in power
- all-inclusive
- all-knowing
- all-powerful
- all-encompassing
- all-embracing
- omni-
'omni-' is more formal and Latin-rooted (omniscient); 'all-' is the everyday English equivalent.
Grammar Patterns
all- + adjective/present participle → compound adjective
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 1: here the base is an adjective or -ing form (all-inclusive, all-knowing), not a plain noun. The compound still functions as an adjective.
Common Mistakes
3. added to a noun or adjective to push its meaning to the strongest level, so that
added to a noun or adjective to push its meaning to the strongest level, so that an all-star team is made up entirely of top players, and an all-electric car runs only on electricity with no petrol at all.
Tokyo plans to switch its city buses to an all-electric fleet by 2035.
all- as intensifier: completely electric
The basketball coach picked an all-star lineup for the charity match.
all- + noun: top-level group
Diego wears all-black outfits to every gallery opening in Madrid.
The choir gave an all-out performance at the Christmas concert.
Aunt Rosa baked an all-natural birthday cake without any food colouring.
- all-electric
- all-star
- all-black
- all-out
- all-natural
- all-new
- fully-
'fully-' is a less productive prefix; 'all-' is shorter and more common in compounds.
- completely
uses an adverb rather than a prefix; 'all-' makes a tighter compound modifier.
- part-
'part-' marks a partial version (part-time) versus 'all-' for the complete version.
Grammar Patterns
all- + noun/adjective → emphatic compound
Usage Note
Subject of the intensifying force is the noun or adjective base (electric, star, black). Differs from sense 1 (every kind of) and sense 2 (everyone/everything): here 'all-' means 'to the maximum degree' or 'with nothing else mixed in'.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- all-purposeadjectiveB2
- all-aroundadjectiveB2
- all-inclusiveadjectiveB2
- all-outadjectiveC1
- all-roundernounC1
- almightyadjectiveC1
- almostadverbA2
- alreadyadverbA1
- alsoadverbA1
- althoughconjunctionA2
- altogetheradverbB2
- alwaysadverbA1
Synonym discussion
Sense: determiner/1
All, every, each, and whole all point to completeness, but they package it differently. All groups members together as one collective and takes a plural or uncountable noun: 'all the students passed' looks at the class as a single block. Every singles out members one at a time while still covering the full set, and it takes a singular noun: 'every student passed' invites you to picture each one. Each is even more individual — useful when you want to stress the members separately, often in pairs or small groups: 'each student got a certificate'. Whole works on a single thing rather than a group, taking a singular countable noun: 'the whole cake' is one cake from edge to edge, where 'all the cakes' would mean several. So at a birthday party you might say all the children sang, every child got a balloon, each child made a wish, and the whole cake disappeared.
Common collocations
Phrases
- all but (= almost; or = except)
- all in all
- all the same
- all things considered
- all told
- after all
- above all
- for all (that)
- first of all
- once and for all
- not at all
- one and all
Prepositions
- all of (the/my/them)
- all in (all in all, all in one)
- all for (all for nothing)
- all from (all from one source)
Etymology
'All' comes from Old English 'eall', meaning 'every, entire, the whole quantity', and traces back to Proto-Germanic '*allaz'. Cognates show the same root spreading across the Germanic family: German 'all', Dutch 'al', Old Norse 'allr', and Gothic 'alls'. The word has stayed remarkably stable in form and core meaning for over a thousand years, while branching out grammatically — the same short word now serves as determiner, pronoun, adjective, adverb, and combining prefix in compounds like 'all-purpose' and 'all-knowing'.