for all the world
Idioms-
In all respects, precisely, as in She looked for all the world like Greta Garbo . [Late 1300s]
-
Also, not for the world . Not for anything, not at any price. For example, I wouldn't give up chocolate for all the world , or Not for the world would I reveal your secret . This hyperbolic expression is generally part of a negative statement. [First half of 1800s] For a synonym, see not for love or money .
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.
Two years before Princess Elizabeth became queen, she felt the special sting of having details of her family’s private life splashed out in print for all the world to see.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
“There he tinkered with dismembered clocks and toasters, and the pathos of dismantled gears, springs and wires infected him with a tenderness for mechanisms that spill their guts for all the world to see.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025
The hype was deafening, it seemed for all the world that Gomes' script was written.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2025
The trap was set and sprung for all the world to see.
From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2025
Everyone was impatient with Gary, who was trying for all the world to sound like this year’s Wayne Pettis.
From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson
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.
