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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

She went all-out, enthusiastically applying a maximalist interpretation of Supreme Court precedents.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

Inside China’s all-out push to catch up with American AI chips.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

It was not quite labelled all-out attack, but it was certainly going to be the style of football fans want to see.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

“Investors still expect the Middle East situation to find a resolution rather than spill back into an all-out conflict,” said Navellier & Associates’ Louis Navellier in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Weanling herds stampede around their paddocks several times a day, running all-out to beat one another.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

“The story I thought I was telling with my filmmaking, the stories of lives lived over decades, is now disjointed, confused — the reels are all out of order,” he says.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

"He said 'you can sort it all out and take charge with money because I'm rubbish with it,'" she says.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

“If you took them all out and they went somewhere else, what would have happened?” said Jones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

We’re all out here doing our best, trying to find someone to love.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

“You were there, weren’t you? I tried to get you all out, so you wouldn’t have to see it.”

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Related Words

• full-blown
• full-scale