1
a
always used before a noun
: complete or full : not lacking or leaving out any part
The whole [=entire] family went on the trip.
The doctor assured me that the whole procedure would only take a few minutes.
The whole place was remodeled. It looks great now.
He was out sick for the whole [=entire] week.
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.
I felt like the luckiest girl in the whole wide world [=in the world] that day.
They failed to tell us the whole story. [=they failed to tell us everything; they only told us certain things]
It rained the whole time I was there. [=it rained continuously while I was there]
We decided to forget the whole thing.
b
: having all the parts : not divided or cut into parts or pieces
a whole egg
whole strawberries [=strawberries that are not sliced or cut up]
We cooked a whole chicken.
whole grains
The recipe calls for two whole cloves. [=cloves that haven't been ground]
2
a
: great or large in size, extent, etc.
The community center offers a whole range of programs.
The track team took part in a whole series of events. [=in a lot of events]
There's a whole set of criteria to consider.
She owns a whole collection of hats. [=she owns many different hats]
b
—used for emphasis before a noun
The whole idea is to make things better, not worse.
She missed the whole point of the story.
We weren't quite sure what to make of the whole situation.
He doesn't seem to have a whole lot of [=much] respect for other people's feelings.
Things are looking a whole lot [=much] brighter now.
plural wholes
: something that is full or complete
—usually singular
The whole of my day was spent on the phone. [=I spent the entire day on the phone]
the whole of creation [=all of creation]
He felt he was part of a greater whole. [=that he was a part of something much larger and greater than himself]
1
: entirely or completely
He has a whole new way of looking at things now. [=he has a completely different attitude now]
2
: in one piece that has not been cut into parts
We cooked the chicken whole.
The frog swallowed the fly whole.
Cite this Entry
“Whole.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/whole. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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