entire
Americanadjective
-
having all the parts or elements; whole; complete.
He wrote the entire novel in only six weeks.
- Antonyms:
- partial
-
full or thorough.
He has been given entire freedom of choice in this matter.
-
not broken, mutilated, or decayed; intact.
We were fortunate to find this relic entire.
- Antonyms:
- defective
-
unimpaired or undiminished.
His entire energies have gone into making the enterprise a success.
-
being wholly of one piece; undivided; continuous.
The entire mood of the symphony was joyful.
-
Botany. without notches or indentations, as leaves.
-
not gelded.
an entire horse.
-
Obsolete. wholly of one kind; unmixed or pure.
noun
-
Archaic. the whole; entirety.
-
an ungelded animal, especially a stallion.
adjective
-
(prenominal) whole; complete
the entire project is going well
-
(prenominal) without reservation or exception; total
you have my entire support
-
not broken or damaged; intact
-
consisting of a single piece or section; undivided; continuous
-
(of leaves, petals, etc) having a smooth margin not broken up into teeth or lobes
-
not castrated
an entire horse
-
obsolete of one substance or kind; unmixed; pure
noun
-
a less common word for entirety
-
an uncastrated horse
-
philately
-
a complete item consisting of an envelope, postcard, or wrapper with stamps affixed
-
(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
Etymology
Origin of entire
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English entere, from Middle French entier, from Latin integrum, accusative of integer “whole”; see integer
Explanation
Think of the word entire as referring to all of anything. Now think of that "all" as being whole — not broken or lacking in any way. Remember that, and you will have the entire meaning of the word. Entire is based on the Latin integrum, which came from the prefix in-, "not," and tangere, "to touch," and thus means "untouched." From there it developed into the 14th-century Old French entier, meaning "unbroken or complete," and then, through Middle English, into our modern word entire. One use of the word you don't see every day is to describe an uncastrated horse — an "entire horse" is a stallion. Gives a pretty interesting picture of the word, doesn't it?
Vocabulary lists containing entire
"Charlotte's Web": Chapter One
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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"Quilt" and "Chief Koruinka's Song"
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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 saved up our entire lives to buy this property out here to live out in the country.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
On Saturday I stood in the nerve center of an aircraft carrier sailing in the Arabian Sea and addressed the entire crew on the general announcing system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
By June 1975 he had regained the use of his entire hand and in late September pitched three innings in an exhibition game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
The entire area has been blanketed by a thick plume of yellowish smoke, prompting the partial evacuation of two villages close by.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Even if I caught the Butterfly now, this entire ship was going to go up in flames.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
