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

See Examples For:

above all

Over the last decade, Namgyal and Higdon have created a small Himalayan outpost here, one based on hard work, mutual respect and above all, a devotion to yaks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

Thanks to Ian for lending me the chair, and, above all, thanks to you for reading.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

Sobel doesn’t expect a dramatic revaluation—just what Beijing has delivered so far: slow, cautious appreciation calibrated to preserve stability above all.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

"It's part of a democratic process - a consultation process - and, above all, it is an opportunity but not an obligation," he added.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Besides, the black elite had always wrung concessions from the white power structure—slowly but surely—through back-channel meetings, arguing their case in a dignified, rational, and, above all, civil manner.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson