all the
Idioms-
Even, more so, as in Painting the room white will make it all the lighter , or They liked her all the better for not pretending , or You don't care for dessert? Good, all the more for us . Used to underscore a comparison, this idiom was used by Shakespeare in As You Like It (1:2): “All the better; we shall be the more marketable.” [Late 1500s] For a synonym, see so much the .
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The entire amount of, as in These cousins were all the family he had . In this usage all the is short for all of the . [Ninth century a.d. ]
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.
“We went through all the reasons why they would say ‘no,’ and they finally said that negotiating supply contracts is ‘a lot of work.’
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
They can make all the bookings and will take into account both of your needs and limitations.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026
Plumb said he has made all the budget cuts needed so far.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
A garden workshop that Wainwright built himself is the base for all the crafting.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
Ahead of us, to my surprise, a doctor was using a stethoscope with all the deliberateness of a real examination.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
