all of the above

Idioms  

1. Also, none of the above. Each one (not any) of the above-named alternatives. For example, Have you decided to quit and announced your decision, or do you want to find another job first?—None of the above. These phrases originated as answers to a multiple-choice question on a test but are now also used colloquially, often as a form of avoiding a direct answer. They use above in the sense of “preceding,” a usage dating from the second half of the 1700s.

---

Example Sentences

Judge Fogel: Well, it’s all of the above.

From Slate • May 12, 2026

They’re sharing these real-time info websites to track geopolitical conflicts, prediction markets and natural disasters—sometimes all of the above.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

The issue, Lacalle argues, is that all of the above parties are playing a game of chicken.

From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026

Jessi Draper of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” is accusing her estranged second husband, Jordan Ngatikaura, of being involved in pretty much all of the above.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

Now you have to take all of the above information and somehow transmit it to the children before you sing.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin