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whole

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adjective American English pronunciation: whole /hoʊl/
  1. 1
    all of something

    His whole body was trembling.

    My whole family came to watch me playing in the concert.

    The whole process will take months.

    the whole thing:

    Come on, let’s just forget the whole thing.

    the whole story/truth:

    She told Tilly the whole story about what had happened.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  wholeThesaurus entry for this meaning of whole
  2. 2
    not divided or broken

    Add three whole eggs plus two additional yolks.

    Some of the statues were broken, but others were still whole.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  wholeThesaurus entry for this meaning of whole
  3. 3
    used for emphasizing what you are saying
    a whole range/series:

    There is a whole range of therapies that might work.

    a whole bunch:

    A whole bunch of kids were waiting to get his autograph.

    a whole lot:

    I feel a whole lot better today.

    a whole host (=a lot):

    We’ve had a whole host of problems.

    in the whole world:

    They’re the best pizzas in the whole world.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  wholeThesaurus entry for this meaning of whole

phrases

derived word

wholeness

noun [uncountable]

This is the American English definition of whole. View British English definition of whole.

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