all-out
adjective
using all one's resources; complete; total.
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all-out
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all out
all outWith all one's strength, ability, or resources; not holding back. For example, They are going all out to make the fund-raiser a success. This seemingly modern term dates from about 1300, when it meant “completely” or “wholly.” It now refers to making a great effort and is also used adjectivally, as in an all-out effort. This usage became current in America in the late 1800s, with reference to races and other kinds of athletic exertion. In the mid-1900s it gave rise to the phrase to go all out and was transferred to just about any energetic undertaking. Also see go whole hog.
all-out
American
[awl-out]
/ ˈɔlˌaʊt /
adjective
all-out
British
adjective
adverb
all out
Idioms
Usage
What does all-out mean? All-out describes using all of your resources or energy to accomplish something, as in Talya made an all-out effort on her midterm exams. The related phrase all out usually follows go and means to make a total effort, as in Jamal’s parents really went all out for his birthday party, treating all the guests to helicopter rides! Example: The away team won the game because they went for an all-out attack on the home team.
Etymology
Origin of all-out
1905–10; adj. use of all out utterly, completely, Middle English al out
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Iranian authorities suspended direct flights between the two near-neighbours on February 28 following the US and Israeli air raids that triggered all-out war.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
But what has really put Sequoia on the marmot-shenanigans map is their all-out assault on the parking lots bordering trailheads in the Mineral King Valley—one of the wildest parts of the park.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
China's President Xi Jinping urged an "all-out" search effort, and promised stronger monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary impacts.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
That’s the mindset Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is now confronting as he faces an all-out trade war with Trump.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
After galloping all-out for two miles, weaving all over the track, Seabiscuit was exhausted.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Harry Styles’s current Madison Square Garden residency overlaps with Halloween, or “Harryween,” at which fans are encouraged to go all out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Take a lesson from Harryhausen’s terrible, incredible monsters; bring it all out into the light of day.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
“A lot of us, our hope is that eventually, history will straighten this all out and say, no, Gloria came in a little later, and her very loyal supporters have backtracked that history.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Gloucestershire were dismissed for 250 in their second innings in the closing stages of Saturday, with visiting coach Mark Alleyne claiming the light was already too poor before his team were all out.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
"No, they're all out here," Mr. Johnson answered.
From "Pony Problems: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #3" by Carolyn Keene
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
