whole-hog

1 of 3

adjective

: 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 majorityR. B. Kaplan

Examples of whole-hog in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The heart of the operation, though, is slow-cooking whole hogs over hickory coals on big cinderblock pits. Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 12 Sep. 2023 Ribs are now indeed an option on his menus alongside the must-try whole hog. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2023 Amsterdam Company, 807 W 19th St, Houston, TX 77008 Visit the website Khói Barbecue The bite: whole hog bánh cuốn Find it: Khói wins points for creativity for its Carolina-style pork on Vietnamese rice rolls. Emma Balter, Chron, 4 Apr. 2023 Boston University’s Questrom School of Business has gone the whole hog and now offers its full MBA online for just $24,000. The Economist, 2 Nov. 2019 So is the climax, which goes whole hog with wishful dramatic thinking. Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, 19 July 2019 The twins took their massive settlement and went whole hog for bitcoin. Chuck Jaffe, The Seattle Times, 1 Sep. 2017 See More

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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of whole-hog was in 1825

Dictionary Entries Near whole-hog

Cite this Entry

“Whole-hog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whole-hog. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.

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
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