whole
adjective 1 complete; entire. 2 emphasizing a large extent or number: a whole range of issues. 3 in an unbroken or undamaged state. noun 1 a thing that is complete in itself. 2 (the whole) all of something. adverb informal entirely; wholly: a whole new meaning. PHRASES as a whole in general. on the whole taking everything into account; in general. the whole nine yards informal, chiefly N. Amer. everything possible or available. DERIVATIVES wholeness noun. ORIGIN Old English, related to HAIL2.
Perform another search of the Compact Oxford English Dictionary
About this dictionary
The Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English contains 145,000 words, phrases, and definitions.
Find out more about Oxford's range of English dictionaries
Sign up for the AskOxford Word of the Day
Search the Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
Search the Concise Dictionary of First Names
|