entire

American  

[en-tahyuhr] / ɛnˈtaɪər /

adjective

1. having all the parts or elements; whole; complete.

   He wrote the entire novel in only six weeks.

   Antonyms:

   partial

2. full or thorough.

   He has been given entire freedom of choice in this matter.

3. not broken, mutilated, or decayed; intact.

   We were fortunate to find this relic entire.

   Antonyms:

   defective

4. unimpaired or undiminished.

   His entire energies have gone into making the enterprise a success.

5. being wholly of one piece; undivided; continuous.

   The entire mood of the symphony was joyful.

6. Botany. without notches or indentations, as leaves.

7. not gelded.

   an entire horse.

8. Obsolete. wholly of one kind; unmixed or pure.

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noun

1. Archaic. the whole; entirety.

2. an ungelded animal, especially a stallion.

entire British  

/ ɪnˈtaɪə /

adjective

1. (prenominal) whole; complete

   the entire project is going well

2. (prenominal) without reservation or exception; total

   you have my entire support

3. not broken or damaged; intact

4. consisting of a single piece or section; undivided; continuous

5. (of leaves, petals, etc) having a smooth margin not broken up into teeth or lobes

6. not castrated

   an entire horse

7. obsolete of one substance or kind; unmixed; pure

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noun

1. a less common word for entirety

2. an uncastrated horse

3. philately

   1. a complete item consisting of an envelope, postcard, or wrapper with stamps affixed

   2. (of a stamp) placed on an envelope, postcard, etc, and bearing postal directions

Usage

What does entire mean? Entire describes something that is complete or whole, as in With my parents away for the weekend, I have the entire house to myself.Entire also describes something that is in one piece or continuous, as in The entire mood of the class was worried as our teacher handed out the tests.Example: The entire series is perfect and there are no bad episodes.

Other Word Forms

• entireness noun
• subentire adjective

Etymology

Origin of entire

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English entere, from Middle French entier, from Latin integrum, accusative of integer “whole”; integer

Example Sentences

"If you open up that water meter, it gives them full access to the entire supply of the whole city," Taylor told the BBC.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

“There have been thousands of targets hit with thousands of sorties penetrating contested airspace. It’s been an entire month and this is the first time we’ve had a combat loss? That’s incredible.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

“That is not a weakness in gold. That is the entire point of gold.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

Discovered in the late 1970s, these systems support entire ecosystems in complete darkness.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

Oh yeah, you know our conversation about “Bye Forever, I Guess” an entire month ago?

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

• full
• integrated
• unified