1
: made with maximum effort : thoroughgoing
an all-out effort to win the contest
: with full determination or enthusiasm : with maximum effort
—used chiefly in the phrase go all out
Examples of all-out in a Sentence
Adjective
Grandpa got the all-out support of the family when he decided to remarry at age 72
an all-out effort to break open the door
Adverb
went all out for her New Year's Eve party—she even had fireworks!
Recent Examples on the Web
Dan Heching, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
More schools are adopting policies banning cell phones, from all-out bans that forbid students from taking their phones out at any time of day to more flexible policies that allow older students to have their phones out during lunch or other breaks.
—Lily Altavena, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
They’ve been beset by major injuries with Sasha Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and now Dmitry Kulikov all out of the lineup, with Barkov and Tkachuk on LTIR.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for all-out
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Adjective
Perfected by forerunners such as Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette, this fall has already seen two music stars gift us with lay-it-all-out-there lyrics.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
More schools are adopting policies banning cell phones, from all-out bans that forbid students from taking their phones out at any time of day to more flexible policies that allow older students to have their phones out during lunch or other breaks.
—Lily Altavena, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Adverb
Stranger Things is going all out for its final season.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
They’ve been beset by major injuries with Sasha Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and now Dmitry Kulikov all out of the lineup, with Barkov and Tkachuk on LTIR.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for all-out
Cite this Entry
“All-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/all-out. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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