Nearby Words
adjective
1.
the whole of (used in referring to quantity, extent, or duration): all the cake; all the way; all year.
2.
the whole number of (used in referring to individuals or particulars, taken collectively): all students.
3.
the greatest possible (used in referring to quality or degree): with all due respect; with all speed.
4.
every: all kinds; all sorts.
5.
EXPANDany; any whatever: beyond all doubt.
6.
nothing but; only: The coat is all wool.
7.
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.
8.
COLLAPSEChiefly Pennsylvania German. all gone; consumed; finished: The pie is all.
pronoun
9.
the whole quantity or amount: He ate all of the peanuts. All are gone.
10.
the whole number; every one: all of us.
11.
everything: Is that all you want to say? All is lost.
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Once and for all
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
noun
12.
one's whole interest, energy, or property: to give one's all; to lose one's all.
13.
(often initial capital letter) the entire universe.
adverb
Idioms14.
wholly; entirely; completely: all alone.
15.
only; exclusively: He spent his income all on pleasure.
16.
each; apiece: The score was one all.
17.
Archaic. even; just.
18.
above all, before everything else; chiefly: Above all, the little girl wanted a piano.
19.
after all, in spite of the circumstances; notwithstanding: He came in time after all.
20.
all at once. once (def. 14).
21.
all but, almost; very nearly: These batteries are all but dead.
22.
EXPANDall in, Northern and Western U.S. very tired; exhausted: We were all in at the end of the day.
23.
all in all,
a.
everything considered; in general: All in all, her health is greatly improved.
b.
altogether: There were twelve absentees all in all.
c.
everything; everything regarded as important: Painting became his all in all.
24.
all in hand, Printing, Journalism. (of the copy for typesetting a particular article, book, issue, etc.) in the possession of the compositor.
25.
all in the wind, Nautical. too close to the wind.
26.
all out, with all available means or effort: We went all out to win the war.
27.
all over,
a.
finished; done; ended.
b.
everywhere; in every part.
c.
in every respect; typically.
28.
all standing, Nautical.
a.
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.
b.
fully clothed: The crew turned in all standing.
c.
fully equipped, as a vessel.
29.
all that, remarkably; entirely; decidedly (used in negative constructions): It's not all that different from your other house.
30.
all the better, more advantageous; so much the better: If the sun shines it will be all the better for our trip.
31.
all there, Informal. mentally competent; not insane or feeble-minded: Some of his farfetched ideas made us suspect that he wasn't all there.
32.
all the same. same (def. 9).
33.
all told. told (def. 2).
34.
all up,
a.
Printing, Journalism. (of copy) completely set in type.
b.
Informal. with no vestige of hope remaining: It's all up with George—they've caught him.
35.
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.
36.
at all,
a.
in the slightest degree: I wasn't surprised at all.
b.
for any reason: Why bother at all?
c.
in any way: no offense at all.
37.
for all (that), in spite of; notwithstanding: For all that, it was a good year.
38.
in all, all included; all together: a hundred guests in all.
39.
COLLAPSEonce and for all, for the last time; finally: The case was settled once and for all when the appeal was denied.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English al, plural alle; Old English eal(l); cognate with Gothic alls, Old Norse allr, Old Frisian, Dutch, Middle Low German al, Old Saxon, Old High German al(l) (German all); if < *ol-no-, equivalent to Welsh oll and akin to Old Irish uile < *ol-io-; compare almighty
before 900; Middle English al, plural alle; Old English eal(l); cognate with Gothic alls, Old Norse allr, Old Frisian, Dutch, Middle Low German al, Old Saxon, Old High German al(l) (German all); if < *ol-no-, equivalent to Welsh oll and akin to Old Irish uile < *ol-io-; compare almighty
Synonyms
2. every one of, each of. 14. totally, utterly, fully.
2. every one of, each of. 14. totally, utterly, fully.
Usage note
Expressions like all the farther and all the higher occur chiefly in informal speech: This is all the farther the bus goes. That's all the higher she can jump. Elsewhere as far as and as high as are generally used: This is as far as the bus goes. EXPANDThat's as high as she can jump.
Although some object to the inclusion of of in such phrases as all of the students and all of the contracts and prefer to omit it, the construction is entirely standard.
See also already, alright, altogether.
COLLAPSE
Expressions like all the farther and all the higher occur chiefly in informal speech: This is all the farther the bus goes. That's all the higher she can jump. Elsewhere as far as and as high as are generally used: This is as far as the bus goes. EXPANDThat's as high as she can jump.
Although some object to the inclusion of of in such phrases as all of the students and all of the contracts and prefer to omit it, the construction is entirely standard.
See also already, alright, altogether.
COLLAPSE
Dictionary.com Unabridged
adverb
1.
at one time in the past; formerly: I was a farmer once; a once powerful nation.
2.
a single time: We ate there just once. We go to a movie once a week.
3.
even a single time; at any time; ever: If the facts once become known, it will be just too bad.
4.
by a single step, degree, or grade: a cousin once removed.
adjective
5.
former; having at one time been: the once and future king.
conjunction
6.
if or when at any time; if ever.
7.
whenever; as soon as: Once you're finished, you can leave.
noun
Idioms8.
a single occasion; one time only: Once is enough.
9.
all at once,
a.
simultaneously: The children were running, screaming, and throwing things all at once.
b.
suddenly: All at once the rain came down.
10.
at once,
a.
at the same time; simultaneously: Don't all speak at once.
b.
immediately; promptly: Tell him to come at once!
11.
once and again, repeatedly: He has been told once and again not to slam the door.
12.
once and for all, decisively; finally: Let's settle this problem once and for all. Also, once for all.
13.
EXPANDonce in a while, at intervals; occasionally: She stops in to see us once in a while.
14.
once or twice, a very few times; infrequently: I've seen her in the elevator once or twice.
15.
COLLAPSEonce upon a time, at some unspecified past time, especially a long time ago: Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a prince and princess.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To once and for all
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
once
c.1200, anes, from ane "one" + adverbial genitive. Replaced O.E. æne. Spelling changed as pronunciation shifted from two syllables to one after c.1300. Pronunciation change to "wuns" parallels that of one. As an emphatic, meaning "once and for all," it is attested from
EXPANDc.1300, but this now is regarded as a Pennsylvania German dialect formation. Meaning "in a past time" (but not necessarily just one time) is from c.1250. Once upon a time as the beginning of a story is recorded from 1595. Slang once-over "inspection" is from 1915. At once originally (c.1230) meant "simultaneously," later "in one company" (c.1300), and preserved the sense of "one" in the word; the phrase typically appeared as one word, atones; the modern meaning "immediately" is attested from 1531.
all
O.E. eall "all, every, entire," from P.Gmc. *alnaz (cf. O.Fris., O.H.G. al, O.N. allr, Goth. alls), with no certain connection outside Gmc. All-fired (1837) is U.S. slang euphemism for hell-fired. First record of all out "to one's full powers" is 1880. All-star (adj.) is from 1889; all-American is from
1888, with ref. to baseball teams composed of the best players from the U.S. All-terrain vehicle first recorded 1970. All clear as a signal of "no danger" is recorded from 1902. All right, indicative of approval, is attested from 1953.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
once and for all
As a settled matter, finally, permanently, as in Once and for all, we're not hiring that organist again, or We've settled that question once and for all. This expression is in effect an abbreviation for "one time and for all time." [Late 1400s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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