whole-hog

1 of 3

adjective

ˈhōl-ˈhȯg 

: committed without reservation : thoroughgoing

a whole-hog patriot

whole hog

2 of 3

noun

: the whole way or farthest limit

—usually used adverbially in the phrase go the whole hog

whole hog

3 of 3

adverb

: to the fullest extent : without reservation : completely

… accepting whole hog the standards … of the majority.

—R. B. Kaplan

Examples of whole-hog in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

For a whole-hog barbecue challenge, Sam Jones of Sam Jones Barbecue in Raleigh, Lewis Donald of Sweet Lew’s BBQ in Charlotte and the Monk family of Lexington Barbecue in Lexington add expertise to the crew of pitmasters assisting the competitors. — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 29 Jan. 2026

The day before, Twitty will also appear at Audrey restaurant in East Nashville as part of a feast featuring whole-hog barbecue (with a book signing to boot). — Mackensy Lunsford, Nashville Tennessean, 16 Oct. 2025

People travel from all over to taste Skylight’s famous whole-hog barbecue and its famously simple cornbread. — Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2025

His meat is cooked over wood fires, drawing inspiration from the barbecue traditions of Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi and Texas, including whole-hog cooking. — Sam Flemming, AJC.com, 13 June 2025

The latest advances in generative AI have gone whole-hog into the use of a chain-of-thought (CoT) as a key component inside the AI. — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

The whole-hog barbecue that legendary pitmaster Rodney Scott serves is smoky, tender, and downright tasty. — Latria Graham, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1829, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1825, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1840, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for whole-hog

• analog
• analogue
• catalogue
• decalogue
• demagogue
• dialogue
• epilogue
• homologue
• monologue
• pedagogue
• synagogue
• tagalog

Kids Definition

whole hog

1 of 2 noun

: the whole way or farthest limit : all

go the whole hog and invite all your friends

whole hog

2 of 2 adverb

: to the fullest extent : completely

accepted whole hog their explanation of events