Definition of whole
1a (1) : free of wound or injury : unhurt (2) : recovered from a wound or injury : restored (3) : being healed whole of an ancient evil, I sleep sound — A. E. Housmanb : free of defect or impairment : intactc : physically sound and healthy : free of disease or deformityd : mentally or emotionally sound
2 : having all its proper parts or components : complete, unmodified whole milk a whole egg
3a : constituting the total sum or undiminished entirety : entire owns the whole islandb : each or all of the took part in the whole series of athletic events
4a : constituting an undivided unit : unbroken, uncut a whole roast suckling pigb : directed to one end : concentrated your whole attention
5a : seemingly complete or total the whole idea is to help, not hinderb : very great in quantity, extent, or scope feels a whole lot better now
6 : constituting the entirety of a person's nature or development educate the whole student
7 : having the same father and mother whole brother
wholeness
nounExplore M-W
Examples of whole in a sentence
The doctor assured me that the whole procedure would only take a few minutes.
The whole place was remodeled. It looks great now.
It's been a whole week since I've seen him.
I spent the whole summer traveling through Europe.
The whole evening was a great success.
She read the whole book in one day.
I've been waiting my whole life for this.
We decided to forget the whole thing.
We cooked a whole chicken.
The community center offers a whole range of programs.
Origin and Etymology of whole
Middle English hool healthy, unhurt, entire, from Old English hāl; akin to Old High German heil healthy, unhurt, Old Norse heill, Old Church Slavonic cělŭ
First Known Use: before 12th century
Synonym Discussion of whole
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
whole
Definition of whole
1 : a complete amount or sum : a number, aggregate, or totality lacking no part, member, or element
2 : something constituting a complex unity : a coherent system or organization of parts fitting or working together as one
in whole
: to the full or entire extent : wholly —usually used in the phrase in whole or in part
on the whole
1 : in view of all the circumstances or conditions : all things considered
2 : in general : in most instances : typically
Examples of whole in a sentence
the landlord eventually refunded the whole of our deposit
14th Century
First Known Use of whole
14th century
whole
Definition of whole
Examples of whole in a sentence
We cooked the chicken whole.
The frog swallowed the fly whole.
14th Century
First Known Use of whole
14th century
WHOLE Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of whole for English Language Learners
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: complete or full : not lacking or leaving out any part
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: having all the parts : not divided or cut into parts or pieces
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: great or large in size, extent, etc.
whole
Definition of whole for English Language Learners
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: something that is full or complete
whole
Definition of whole for English Language Learners
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: entirely or completely
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: in one piece that has not been cut into parts
WHOLE Defined for Kids
Definition of whole for Students
1 : made up of all its parts : total, entire the whole family
2 : all the the whole week
3 : not cut up or ground a whole onion
4 : not scattered or divided I gave it my whole attention.
5 : having all its proper parts : complete whole milk
6 : completely healthy or sound in condition Your care made me whole again.
wholeness
nounDefinition of whole for Students
1 : something that is full or complete The whole of my day was spent working.
2 : a sum of all the parts and elements the whole of creation
on the whole
1 : all things considered
2 : in most cases
Medical Dictionary
whole
playMedical Definition of whole
: containing all its natural constituents, components, or elements : deprived of nothing by refining, processing, or separation whole milk
Learn More about whole
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See words that rhyme with whole Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for whole Spanish Central: Translation of whole Nglish: Translation of whole for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of whole for Arabic speakers
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