whole

Study(26)

UK /həʊl/ US /hoʊl/

adj 5noun 2adv 1

Collocations

(noun.) all of sth

VERB + WHOLE

cover, embrace, encompass, involve, span

The new highway construction will span the whole region over the next five years.

fill, occupy, take up

The new shopping mall fills the whole city block downtown.

permeate, pervade

A feeling of sadness pervaded the whole atmosphere at the funeral ceremony.

(noun.) complete thing

ADJ

coherent, cohesive, harmonious, homogeneous, integrated, organized, seamless

The team worked together to create a seamless whole that impressed the client.

single

complex

Understanding how all the parts fit together helps you see the complex whole of the problem.

meaningful

The puzzle pieces finally came together to form a meaningful whole.

organic

VERB + WHOLE

form, make (up)

The different ingredients combine to form a delicious whole.

PHRASES

as a whole

The economy improved last year, though some regions struggled as a whole.

Definitions

adj

Entire, undivided.

I ate a whole fish.

During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant[…]

Entire, undivided.

I brought a whole lot of balloons for the party. She ate a whole bunch of french fries.

There, a huge blue heron stands sentry like a statue, eye on the surface, waiting for his next meal to wriggle by. A lone grassy hill overlooks it all, well above the flood line, big enough to pitch a whole mess of tents [on].

Sound, uninjured, healthy.

He is of whole mind, but the same cannot be said about his physical state.

Here, with one balm for many fevers found, / Whole of an ancient evil, I sleep sound.

From which none of its constituents has been removed.

whole wheat; whole milk

As yet unworked.

adv

In entirety; entirely; wholly.

I ate a fish whole!

That’s a whole other story.

noun

Something complete, without any parts missing.

This variety of fascinating details didn't fall together into an enjoyable, coherent whole.

An entirety.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity

unit

adjective — acting together as a single undiversified whole

solid
unanimous

adjective — exhibiting or restored to vigorous good health

hale

adjective — not injured or harmed

unharmed
unhurt
unscathed

adverb — to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (`whole

Antonyms

fractional

Idioms & Phrases

on the whole

For the most part; apart from some insignificant details.

The language was wrong for the period, but, on the whole, I enjoyed the film.

whole shooting match

Everything; the entire collection, endeavor, or activity.

It started raining on their picnic and they had to move the whole shooting match inside.

whole shebang

Everything; the entire thing.

The festival had balloons, flowers, fireworks, performers, and the whole shebang.

whole cloth

in full extent, wholesale, entirely, without changes or additions

Some are strangely detailed, like the hugely antlered white deer-creature-cum-forest-god seemingly stolen whole cloth from Princess Mononoke.

go the whole hog

To do something as completely or entirely as possible; to hold back or reserve nothing.

If you can afford a new computer, you might as well go the whole hog and get it custom built.

Example Bank

I ate a whole fish.

Wiktionary

Athelstan Arundel walked home all the way, foaming and raging. […] He walked the whole way, walking through crowds, and under the noses of dray-horses, carriage-horses, and cart-horses, without taking

Wiktionary

I ate a fish whole!

Wiktionary

That’s a whole other story.

Wiktionary

This variety of fascinating details didn't fall together into an enjoyable, coherent whole.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, whole is marked as colloquial. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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