entire

1 of 2

adjective

1
: having no element or part left out : whole
was alone the entire day
2
: complete in degree : total
their entire devotion to their family
3
a
: consisting of one piece
c
: intact
strove to keep the collection entire
4
: not castrated
5
: having the margin continuous or free from indentations
an entire leaf
entire adverb
entireness noun

entire

2 of 2

noun

1
2
archaic : the whole : entirety
Choose the Right Synonym for entire

whole, entire, total, all mean including everything or everyone without exception.

whole implies that nothing has been omitted, ignored, abated, or taken away.

read the whole book

entire may suggest a state of completeness or perfection to which nothing can be added.

the entire population was wiped out

total implies that everything has been counted, weighed, measured, or considered.

the total number of people present

all may equal whole, entire, or total.

all proceeds go to charity

perfect, whole, entire, intact mean not lacking or faulty in any particular.

perfect implies the soundness and the excellence of every part, element, or quality of a thing frequently as an unattainable or theoretical state.

a perfect set of teeth

whole suggests a completeness or perfection that can be sought, gained, or regained.

felt like a whole person again after vacation

entire implies perfection deriving from integrity, soundness, or completeness of a thing.

the entire Beethoven corpus

intact implies retention of perfection of a thing in its natural or original state.

the boat survived the storm intact

Examples of entire in a Sentence

Adjective The war affected an entire generation of young Americans. The fence runs along the entire length of the building. She has dedicated her entire life to helping others.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Her exact tank top is currently on sale for $66 during Banana Republic’s annual Friends & Family Event, where its entire website is 40 percent off until Saturday, September 23 at midnight ET. Tanisha Pina, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2023 The entire stairwell scene ended up taking only one day to film. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 22 Sep. 2023 Take a virtual tour of this living room, plus the entire 2023 Real Simple Home. 1. Ella Field, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Sep. 2023 Images and stories, including Stagg’s very New York chronicles, are broken up and distributed throughout the entire issue. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 22 Sep. 2023 At Zwirner, which recently hosted a Yayoi Kusama exhibit that had lines around the block for almost its entire eight-week run, staff are trained to greet visitors and be helpful. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2023 For instance, Kim Jones, the artistic director of Fendi womenswear and Dior menswear, has created entire collections inspired directly by Woolf and Grant. Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Sep. 2023 But the task of a quarterback calling plays for an entire game in today’s NFL would be mind-boggling in its complexities. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023 Tesla’s pioneering electric vehicles kicked off a new era that has turned the entire auto industry on its head. WIRED, 21 Sep. 2023
Noun
In addition, Buffett landed 15 entries on the Adult Contemporary charts — including a No. 1 with Margaritaville in 1977 and 17 entires on the top country albums chart, with eight top 10s and a No. 1 with License to Chill. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 2 Sep. 2023 From Beyonce to Madonna, designers David and Phillipe Blond have spent almost two decades shaping fashion history When Beyoncé stepped on stage in a bodysuit back in 2014, her entire was encrusted in jewels, complete with 3D nipples. Kyle Rice, Rolling Stone, 24 July 2022 As storms and fires grow stronger in a warming world, so must the entire of infrastructure, including roads, power, buildings, and people need to be made resilient enough to withstand disasters. Camille Squires, Quartz, 3 Sep. 2021 As of 2021, the media bail bond for a felony is $10,000 — an amount that is nearly an entire's year worth of income for the people who can't afford it. Li Cohen, CBS News, 23 July 2021 Frequently in this production, the entire back wall becomes a movie screen, sometimes capturing live scenes on or just off stage. Brian Schaefer, Bloomberg.com, 6 May 2020 Vanore, a 37-year-old television producer, had an entire row to herself on the United Airlines flight last Thursday from Newark to Los Angeles. Maxine Joselow, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2020 EDsmart, a college ranking website, is looking for a real die-hard Potterhead to binge-watch the entire Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts film series. Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2020 Red, Jackson-Posey and Donald Ghostone had three steals each while the entire Flower Mound team had just two for the game. Dallas News, 29 Feb. 2020 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'entire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English enter, entier, entire, from Anglo-French enter, entier, from Latin integer, literally, untouched, from in- + tangere to touch — more at tangent entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of entire was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near entire

Cite this Entry

“Entire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/entire. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

entire

adjective
en·​tire
in-ˈtī(ə)r,
ˈen-ˌtī(ə)r
1
: having no element or part left out : complete
2
: being to the fullest degree : total
her entire devotion
3
: having the margin continuous and free from indentations
an entire leaf
entire adverb
entirely adverb
entireness noun

Legal Definition

entire

adjective
en·​tire
: not capable of being divided into independent parts (as promises) : constituting an undivided unit
an entire contract
compare divisible, severable

More from Merriam-Webster on entire

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!