the whole enchilada
noun
US, informal
: the entire thing : everything
The celebration included music, food, fireworks—the whole enchilada.
The team has a good chance in the playoffs and may win the whole enchilada this year.
Examples of the whole enchilada in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
To be clear, Southwest did not win the whole enchilada.
—
Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
The goal should have always been to keep as many people as possible locked in to cable deals — with streaming a source of extra revenue and not the whole enchilada — for as long as possible.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2024
And that, dear readers, is more or less the whole enchilada of how Ars Technica is currently hosted in the clouds.
—Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 9 Aug. 2023
In process groups, engaging with others is the whole enchilada.
—Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2023
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.
Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
The goal should have always been to keep as many people as possible locked in to cable deals — with streaming a source of extra revenue and not the whole enchilada — for as long as possible.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2024
And that, dear readers, is more or less the whole enchilada of how Ars Technica is currently hosted in the clouds.
—Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 9 Aug. 2023
In process groups, engaging with others is the whole enchilada.
—Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“The whole enchilada.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20whole%20enchilada. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share