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.

---

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of above all

First recorded in 1350–1400

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

above all

The results pile pressure on the beleaguered group, which has been suffering from slimmer margins from the sales of electric cars, US tariffs and above all intense Chinese competition.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

They were hugs of gratitude, encouragement and, above all, resignation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

And above all, within what changes in people’s status?

From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026

I felt 100% British, 100% Moroccan, 100% Mauritian and, above all, 100% Beckenham.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

Music, above all, works in sound and time.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin