[uh-lawng, uh-long] 
| 1. | through, on, beside, over, or parallel to the length or direction of; from one end to the other of: to walk along a highway; to run a border along a shelf. |
| 2. | during; in the course of: Somewhere along the way I lost my hat. |
| 3. | in conformity or accordance with: I plan to revise the article along the lines suggested. |
| 4. | by the length; lengthwise; parallel to or in a line with the length or direction: He ran along beside me. |
| 5. | with a progressive motion; onward: The police ordered the line to move along. |
| 6. | (of time) some way on: along toward evening. |
| 7. | in company; in agreement (usually fol. by with): I'll go along with you. He planned the project along with his associates. |
| 8. | as a companion; with one: She took her brother along. |
| 9. | from one person or place to another: The order was passed along from the general to the captain and from the captain to a private. |
| 10. | at or to an advanced place or state: Work on the new ship is quite far along. |
| 11. | as an accompanying item; on hand: Bring along your umbrella. |
| 12. | along of, Chiefly Southern U.S. and British Dialect.
|
| 13. | get along. get (def. 36). |
| 14. | all along, all the time; throughout: I knew all along that it was a lie. |
| 15. | be along, Informal. to arrive at a place; come: They should be along soon. |
| all (ôl) adj.
pron.
[Middle English al, from Old English eall; see al-3 in Indo-European roots.] Usage Note: The construction all that is used informally in questions and negative sentences to mean "to the degree expected." In the late 1960s, the Usage Panel rejected its use, but evidently resistance to all that is crumbling. Seventy-two percent of the Panel now finds the construction acceptable in the sentence The movie is not all that interesting. · Sentences of the form All X's are not Y may be ambiguous. All of the departments did not file a report may mean that some departments did not file, or that none did. The first meaning can be expressed unambiguously by the sentence Not all of the departments filed a report. The second meaning requires a paraphrase such as None of the departments filed a report or All of the departments failed to file a report. The same problem can arise with other universal terms such as every in negated sentences, as in the ambiguous Every department did not file a report. See Usage Note at every. Our Living Language : Among the newest ways of introducing direct speech in the United States is the construction consisting of a form of be with all, as in I'm all, "I'm not gonna do that!" And she's all, "Yes you are!" This construction is particularly common in the animated speech of young people in California and elsewhere on the West Coast, who use it more frequently than the informal East Coast alternatives, be like and go, as in He's like (or goes), "I'm not gonna do that!" These indicators of direct speech tend to be used more often with pronoun subjects (He's all, "I'm not....") than with nouns (The man's all, "I'm not...."), and with the historical present (He's all....) than with the past (He was all....). All of these locutions can introduce a gesture or facial expression rather than a quotation, as in He's all.... followed by a shrug of the shoulders. Be all and be like can also preface a statement that sums up an attitude, as in "I'm all 'No way!'" See Notes at go1, like2. |
all along
From the start, throughout, from end to end, as in I've known he was innocent all along. [c. 1600] Also see all along the line.
