above all

American  

[uh-buhv awl] / əˈbʌv ˈɔl /

idiom

1. most important of all; before everything else; chiefly.

   Above all, the little girl wanted a piano.

   He said that, above all else, he was a dad of two young children.

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above all More Idioms  

1. More than anything else, as in A winter hike calls for good equipment, but above all it requires careful planning. This phrase first appears in William Langland's Piers Ploughman (1377), in which the narrator exhorts readers to love the Lord God above all. Also see first and last.

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Etymology

Origin of above all

First recorded in 1350–1400

Example Sentences

That may mean taking advantage of weekly discounts, sacrificing non-essential purchases — and, perhaps above all, seeking out more affordable supermarkets.

From Salon

The Brazil forward, who has been the victim of numerous incidents of racist abuse during his playing career, said "racists are, above all, cowards" in a post on Instagram.

From BBC

"This triumph is a result of the completeness of their performance, their high technical skill, the expressive power born from their harmony, and above all the bond of trust between the two," the spokesman said.

From Barron's

And above all, children must be protected from continued violence, because no therapy can compete with ongoing trauma.

From Los Angeles Times

Another element of Core’s appeal to members, she recently told Leaders magazine, is that “we value privacy and discretion above all.”

From The Wall Street Journal