all-over
adjective
covering the entire surface
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all-over
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all over
all over
Everywhere. The phrase may be used alone, as in I've looked all over for that book , or The very thought of poison ivy makes me itch all over . In addition it can be used as a preposition, meaning “throughout,” as in The news spread all over town . [Early 1600s] Also see far and wide .
all-over
Britishadjective
all over
Idioms
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Everywhere. The phrase may be used alone, as in I've looked all over for that book , or The very thought of poison ivy makes me itch all over . In addition it can be used as a preposition, meaning “throughout,” as in The news spread all over town . [Early 1600s] Also see far and wide .
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In all respects, as in He is his Aunt Mary all over . Charles Lamb had this usage in a letter (1799) about a poem: “The last lines ... are Burns all over.” [Early 1700s]
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Also, all over again . Again from the beginning. For example, They're going to play the piece all over , or Do you mean you're starting all over again? [Mid-1500s]
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Also, all over with . Quite finished, completed, as in By the time I arrived the game was all over , or Now that she passed the test, her problems are all over with . This phrase uses over in the sense of “finished,” a usage dating from the 1300s. Also see all over but the shouting ; have it (all over) , def. 4.
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:
A cordon was put in place and emergency workers in all-over protective clothing examined the scene, but no trace of any hazardous substance was found.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2024
The shoes feature an all-over sandy suede, with gold and jade accents on the shank plate and outsole.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2024
It's the perfect, just-set icing on top of pastries, cookies, and cakes at your favorite bakeries — perhaps most identified as the all-over glaze atop petit fours.
From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2021
“It’s an all-over dry brushing, then you get painted with this honey heal glaze that’s amazing for your whole body,” says Holm.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 29, 2021
Her neck and wrists were bare, and her hair was a mess—a pile, an all-over glob of red curls.
From "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell
“Ultimately this has the ‘Supreme Court’ written all over it,” a lawyer says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
If your dishwasher didn’t clean the dishes properly, now you have to do it all over again, and waste precious time!
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
And there were more, scattered all over the government, such as the National Counterterrorism Center and the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Sadly, he's heard it all over before, as has O'Neill.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
She tries to put her cup back in the saucer, but this time she misses completely and it clatters and spills tea all over the table.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
