the whole time
noun
1
: since something began : during the entire period of time
The police knew the whole time who was guilty.
2
British
: at all times : always
You can't be right the whole time.
3
British, informal
: very often
My sisters and I used to fight the whole time.
Examples of the whole time in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Like the times his mom would crank up R&B/pop singer Johnnie Taylor's music and taught him the twine line dance on the porch of his aunties' house, mother and son laughing and smiling the whole time.
—
Brad Schmitt, The Tennessean, 2 Aug. 2025
The Twins had been engaged in trying to bring him back the whole time, though were not willing to offer the same financial commitment as the other two teams.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 31 July 2025
And there was just coffee flowing and cigarettes flowing the whole time.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 30 July 2025
The camera was rolling almost the whole time with Ozzy.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for the whole time
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brad Schmitt, The Tennessean, 2 Aug. 2025
The Twins had been engaged in trying to bring him back the whole time, though were not willing to offer the same financial commitment as the other two teams.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 31 July 2025
And there was just coffee flowing and cigarettes flowing the whole time.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 30 July 2025
The camera was rolling almost the whole time with Ozzy.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for the whole time
Cite this Entry
“The whole time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20whole%20time. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share