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• all-out
  all-out

  adjective

  using all one's resources; complete; total.
• all out
  all out

  With 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

1. using all one's resources; complete; total.

   an all-out effort.

   Synonyms:

   unremitting, exhaustive, unstinting

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all-out British  

adjective

1. using one's maximum powers

   an all-out effort

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adverb

1. to one's maximum effort or capacity

   he went all out on the home stretch

all out Idioms  

1. With 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.

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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

See Examples For:

all-out all out

State news agency Xinhua said Chinese President Xi Jinping had urged "all-out" rescue operations, but did not provide figures on injuries or deaths.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

China's President Xi Jinping is urging "all-out" search efforts for the missing, as well as stronger monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary disasters.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

He warned Putin against invading Ukraine, citing intelligence the U.S. collected about his plans for an all-out assault.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 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

In the early-morning hours of January 31,1968, more than 80,000 NVA troops and VC launched the Tet Offensive, an all-out invasion of South Vietnam.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

If a friend joins Nill for the walk, the extra hands help her take them all out in two strollers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Take a lesson from Harryhausen’s terrible, incredible monsters; bring it all out into the light of day.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

For an encore he helped reduce Essex from 171-3 to 177 all out in the space of 26 balls, his five wickets coming in 14 deliveries without conceding a run.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

The 23-year-old Park, the only woman in South Korea's team of 36 eSports competitors heading to Japan, said she wanted to "go all out and have no regrets".

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

She turns the car radio up crazy loud to an oldies station, and we groove to that, singing all out all the way to the mall.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

Related Words

• full-blown
• full-scale