whole


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whole

a single entity comprised of a collection of parts; including all of an entity: This requires your whole attention.
Not to be confused with:
hole – an opening in something or an unoccupied space; a playing period in golf: We only had time to play nine holes.; a lack or a fault: Your reasoning is full of holes.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

whole

 (hōl)
adj.
1.
a. Containing all components; complete: the whole series of novels.
b. Not divided or disjoined; in one unit: a whole loaf.
c. Constituting the full amount, extent, or duration: The baby cried the whole trip home.
2.
a. Not wounded, injured, or impaired; sound or unhurt: Many escaped the fire frightened but whole.
b. Having been restored; healed: After the treatment he felt whole.
3. Having the same parents: a whole sister.
n.
1. A number, group, set, or thing lacking no part or element; a complete thing.
2. An entity or system made up of interrelated parts: The value of the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.
adv. Informal
Entirely; wholly: a whole new idea.
Idioms:
as a whole
All parts or aspects considered; altogether: disliked the acting but enjoyed the play as a whole.
on the whole
1. Considering everything: on the whole, a happy marriage.
2. In most instances or cases; as a rule: can expect sunny weather, on the whole.

[Middle English hole, unharmed, from Old English hāl; see kailo- in Indo-European roots.]

whole′ness n.
Synonyms: whole, all, entire, gross, total
These adjectives mean including every constituent or individual: a whole town devastated by an earthquake; all the class going on a field trip; entire shipments lost by the distributor; gross income; the total cost of the project.
Antonym: partial
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

whole

(həʊl)
adj
1. containing all the component parts necessary to form a total; complete: a whole apple.
2. constituting the full quantity, extent, etc
3. uninjured or undamaged
4. (Medicine) healthy
5. (Mathematics) having no fractional or decimal part; integral: a whole number.
6. (Genetics) of, relating to, or designating a relationship established by descent from the same parents; full: whole brothers.
7. out of whole cloth informal US and Canadian entirely without a factual basis
adv
in an undivided or unbroken piece: to swallow a plum whole.
n
8. all the parts, elements, etc, of a thing
9. an assemblage of parts viewed together as a unit
10. a thing complete in itself
11. as a whole considered altogether; completely
12. on the whole
a. taking all things into consideration
b. in general
[Old English hāl, hǣl; related to Old Frisian hāl, hēl, Old High German heil, Gothic hails; compare hale1]
ˈwholeness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

whole

(hoʊl)

adj.
1. comprising the full quantity or amount; entire or total: He ate the whole pie.
2. complete: a whole set of china.
3. undivided; in one piece: to swallow a thing whole.
4. not fractional; integral.
5. not broken, damaged, or impaired; intact: The vase arrived whole.
6. uninjured or unharmed; sound.
7. pertaining to all aspects of human nature: education for the whole person.
n.
8. the entire quantity, extent, or number: to accept some of the teachings but reject the whole.
9. a thing complete in itself or comprising all its parts or elements.
10. an assemblage of parts associated together as one thing; a unitary system.
Idioms:
1. as a whole, as a unit; considered together.
2. on or upon the whole, in all of the most significant ways; in general.
3. out of whole cloth, without foundation in fact; fictitious.
[before 900; Middle English hole, hool (adj. and n.), Old English hāl (adj.) whole, sound, c. Old Frisian, Old Saxon hēl, Old High German heil, Old Norse heill, Gothic hails; compare hale1, heal; sp. with w reflects dial. form]
whole′ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

whole

1. 'the whole of' and 'whole'

When you talk about the whole of something, you mean all of it.

We were there for the whole of July.
I felt pain throughout the whole of my body.

Instead of using the whole of in front of a noun phrase beginning with the, you can simply use whole after the. For example, instead of saying 'The whole of the house was on fire', you can say 'The whole house was on fire'.

I spent the whole day in the library.
They're the best team in the whole world.

You can use whole in a similar way after this, that, or a possessive.

I just want to say how sorry I am about this whole business.
I've never seen anything like this in my whole life.

You use whole after a to emphasize that you mean all of something of a particular kind.

We worked on the project for a whole year.
I drank a whole pot of coffee, and I still felt tired.

You can also use whole like this in front of the plural form of a noun.

There were whole paragraphs in the article that I didn't understand.

Be Careful!
In front of plurals, whole does not have the same meaning as all. If you say 'All the buildings have been destroyed', you mean that every building has been destroyed. If you say 'Whole buildings have been destroyed', you mean that some buildings have been destroyed completely.

2. 'as a whole'

You use as a whole after a noun to emphasize that you are talking about all of something and regarding it as a single unit.

Is this true just of some classes, or of the school as a whole?
In the country as a whole, average house prices went up by 19%.
3. 'on the whole'

You add on the whole to a statement to show that what you are saying is true in general but may not be true in every case.

I didn't enjoy the food because on the whole I don't really like fish.
On the whole it's not a good idea to ask him questions.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.whole - all of something including all its component elements or parts; "Europe considered as a whole"; "the whole of American literature"
concept, conception, construct - an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances
division, section, part - one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole; "the written part of the exam"; "the finance section of the company"; "the BBC's engineering division"
unit - a single undivided whole; "an idea is not a unit that can be moved from one brain to another"
compound - a whole formed by a union of two or more elements or parts
complex, composite - a conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts; "the complex of shopping malls, houses, and roads created a new town"
2.whole - an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entitywhole - an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; "how big is that part compared to the whole?"; "the team is a unit"
object, physical object - a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow; "it was full of rackets, balls and other objects"
congener - a whole (a thing or person) of the same kind or category as another; "lard was also used, though its congener, butter, was more frequently employed"; "the American shopkeeper differs from his European congener"
animate thing, living thing - a living (or once living) entity
natural object - an object occurring naturally; not made by man
artefact, artifact - a man-made object taken as a whole
assembly - a unit consisting of components that have been fitted together
item - a whole individual unit; especially when included in a list or collection; "they reduced the price on many items"
part, portion - something less than the whole of a human artifact; "the rear part of the house"; "glue the two parts together"
segment, section - one of several parts or pieces that fit with others to constitute a whole object; "a section of a fishing rod"; "metal sections were used below ground"; "finished the final segment of the road"
aggregate, total, totality, sum - the whole amount
Adj.1.whole - including all components without exceptionwhole - including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete; "gave his whole attention"; "a whole wardrobe for the tropics"; "the whole hog"; "a whole week"; "the baby cried the whole trip home"; "a whole loaf of bread"
complete - having every necessary or normal part or component or step; "a complete meal"; "a complete wardrobe"; "a complete set of the Britannica"; "a complete set of china"; "a complete defeat"; "a complete accounting"
fractional - constituting or comprising a part or fraction of a possible whole or entirety; "a fractional share of the vote"; "a partial dose"
2.whole - (of siblings) having the same parentswhole - (of siblings) having the same parents; "whole brothers and sisters"
half - (of siblings) related through one parent only; "a half brother"; "half sister"
3.whole - not injured
uninjured - not injured physically or mentally
4.whole - exhibiting or restored to vigorous good health; "hale and hearty"; "whole in mind and body"; "a whole person again"
healthy - having or indicating good health in body or mind; free from infirmity or disease; "a rosy healthy baby"; "staying fit and healthy"
5.whole - acting together as a single undiversified wholewhole - acting together as a single undiversified whole; "a solid voting bloc"
undiversified - not diversified
Adv.1.whole - to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (`whole' is often used informally for `wholly')whole - to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (`whole' is often used informally for `wholly'); "he was wholly convinced"; "entirely satisfied with the meal"; "it was completely different from what we expected"; "was completely at fault"; "a totally new situation"; "the directions were all wrong"; "it was not altogether her fault"; "an altogether new approach"; "a whole new idea"
colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

whole

noun
1. total, all, lot, everything, aggregate, sum total, the entire amount Taken as a percentage of the whole, it has to be a fairly minor part
2. unit, body, piece, object, combination, unity, entity, ensemble, entirety, fullness, totality The different components combine to form a complete whole.
unit part, bit, piece, division, element, component, portion, fragment, constituent
adjective
1. complete, full, total, entire, integral, uncut, undivided, unabridged, unexpurgated, uncondensed I have now read the whole book.
complete cut, divided, fragmented, partial, incomplete, in pieces
2. undamaged, intact, unscathed, unbroken, good, sound, perfect, mint, untouched, flawless, unhurt, faultless, unharmed, in one piece, uninjured, inviolate, unimpaired, unmutilated I struck the glass with all my might, but it remained whole.
undamaged broken, damaged
3. (Archaic) healthy, well, better, strong, sound, fit, recovered, healed, cured, robust, hale, in good health, in fine fettle, able-bodied the woman who was made whole by touching the hem of Jesus's garment
healthy diseased, ill, sick, crook (Austral. & N.Z. informal), ailing, sickly, unwell, under-the-weather
adverb
1. in one piece, in one Snakes swallow their prey whole.
on the whole
2. all in all, altogether, all things considered, by and large, taking everything into consideration On the whole, I think it's better if I don't come with you.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

whole

adjective
1. Including every constituent or individual:
2. Lacking nothing essential or normal:
3. Not diffused or dispersed:
4. Not more or less:
6. Having good health:
Idioms: fit as a fiddle, hale and hearty, in fine fettle.
noun
1. An amount or quantity from which nothing is left out or held back:
Informal: work (used in plural).
Idioms: everything but the kitchen sink, lock, stock, and barrel, the whole ball of wax.
2. An organized array of individual elements and parts forming and working as a unit:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
الكُلّبِكَامِلِهِبِكامِلِهكامِل، تامكل، الشّيءُ بِكامِلِه
celekcelý
helhele
kokonainenkokonaisuuskoko
čitavcjelina
allurheildheill; allirí heilu lagi
全体全体の
전체전체의
rupūs miltai
nesadalītsveselaisveselsveselumsviss
celcelotacelacelo
helhelhethelt
ทั้งหมดสิ่งที่ครบถ้วน
bütünbütün olarakhepsi-in tümü
tất cảtoàn bộ

whole

[həʊl]
A. N (= complete unit) → todo m
the whole may be greater than the sum of the or its partsel todo puede ser mayor que la suma de las partes
four quarters make a wholecuatro cuartos hacen una unidad
as a whole the estate is to be sold as a wholela propiedad va a venderse como una unidad
Europe should be seen as a wholeEuropa debería considerarse como un todo or una unidad
taken as a whole, the project is a successsi se considera en su totalidad, el proyecto es un éxito
is this true just in India, or in the world as a whole?¿es ése el caso sólo en la India o en todo el mundo?
the whole oftodo
the whole of Glasgow was talking about ittodo Glasgow hablaba de ello
the whole of our output this yeartoda nuestra producción de este año
the whole of Julytodo el mes de julio
the whole of the timetodo el tiempo
the whole of Europetoda Europa, Europa entera
the whole of the morningtoda la mañana, la mañana entera
on the wholeen general
B. ADJ
1. (= entire) → todo
the whole family was theretoda la familia estaba allí
we spent the whole summer in Italypasamos todo el verano or el verano entero en Italia
a whole hourtoda una hora, una hora entera
it rained for three whole daysllovió durante tres días enteros or seguidos
whole towns were destroyedpueblos enteros fueron destruidos
along its whole lengthtodo a lo largo
I've never told anyone in my whole lifenunca se lo he dicho a nadie en toda mi vida
a whole load of people were therehabía un montón de gente allí
he took the whole lotse lo llevó todo
I'm fed up with the whole lot of themestoy harto de todos ellos
a whole lot better/worsemuchísimo mejor/peor
it's a whole new world to mees un mundo completamente nuevo para mí
I've bought myself a whole new wardrobeme he comprado un vestuario completamente nuevo
the whole point was to avoid that happeningel propósito era evitar que eso pasara
the whole point of coming here was to relaxel objetivo de venir aquí era relajarse
the figures don't tell the whole storylas cifras no nos dicen toda la verdad
let's forget the whole thingolvidemos todo el asunto, olvidémoslo todo
he didn't tell the whole truthno dijo toda la verdad
the whole worldtodo el mundo, el mundo entero
to go the whole hogliarse la manta a la cabeza
this is a whole new ball gamees una historia distinta por completo, es algo completamente distinto
2. (= intact) → entero
not a glass was left whole following the partyno quedó ni un vaso entero tras la fiesta
keep the egg yolks wholeprocure que no se rompan las yemas de huevo
the seal on the letter was still wholeel sello de la carta no estaba roto
to make sth whole (liter) (= heal) → curar algo
he swallowed it wholese lo tragó entero
C. CPD whole milk Nleche f entera
whole note N (US) (Mus) → semibreve f
whole number Nnúmero m entero
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

whole

[ˈhəʊl]
adj
(= complete) → entier/ière, tout(e)
the whole class → toute la classe, la classe entière
the whole afternoon → tout l'après-midi
a whole afternoon → un après-midi entier
to spend a whole afternoon doing sth → passer un après-midi entier à faire qch
a whole box of chocolates → toute une boîte de chocolats, une boîte entière de chocolats
the whole world → le monde entier
We spent the whole summer in Italy → Nous avons passé tout l'été en Italie.
the whole time (that) → pendant tout le temps que
It rained the whole time we were there → Il a plu pendant tout le temps que nous étions là-bas.
Whole villages were destroyed → Des villages entiers furent détruits.
the whole lot, the whole lot of it (= all of it) → tout
the whole lot, the whole lot of them (= all of them) → tous (sans exception)
"Aren't there any biscuits left?" - "No, Caroline took the whole lot." → "Il ne reste plus de biscuits?" "Non, Caroline les a tous pris."
(for emphasis)tout(e)
I saw a whole different side of him that day → J'ai vu une facette de lui entièrement différente ce jour-là., Je l'ai vu sous un tout autre jour ce jour-là.
There's a whole group of friends I want you to meet → Il y a tout un groupe d'amis que j'aimerais te présenter.
a whole new way of doing business → toute une nouvelle façon de faire des affaires
never in my whole life → jamais de la vie
(= in one piece) → en un seul morceau
He swallowed it whole → Il l'a avalé tout rond.
n
(= total) → ensemble m
a small percentage of the whole → un petit pourcentage de l'ensemble
the whole of sth → l'ensemble de qch
the whole of the town → l'ensemble de la ville, toute la ville
The whole of Wales was affected → L'ensemble du pays de Galles a été touché.
the whole of the time → tout le temps
for the whole of July → pendant tout le mois de juillet
(= single thing with many parts) → tout m, ensemble m
The earth's weather system is an integrated whole → La météorologie terrestre est un tout intégré., La météorologie terrestre est un ensemble intégré.
a coherent whole → un tout cohérent, un ensemble cohérent
as a whole → dans son ensemble
on the whole → dans l'ensemble
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

whole

adj (= entire, unbroken, undivided)ganz; truthvoll; (Bibl: = well) → heil; but the whole purpose was to …aber der ganze Sinn der Sache or aber der Zweck der Übung (inf)war, dass …; three whole weeksdrei volle or ganze Wochen; the whole lotdas Ganze; (of people)alle, der ganze Verein (inf); a whole lot of peopleeine ganze Menge Leute; a whole lot better (inf)ein ganzes Stück besser (inf), → sehr viel besser; she is a whole lot of woman (esp US inf) → sie ist eine richtige or echte Frau; let’s forget the whole thingvergessen wir das Ganze; the figures don’t tell the whole story/the whole truthdie Zahlen sagen nicht alles/nicht die ganze Wahrheit; a whole new wardrobeeine völlig neue Garderobe; out of whole cloth (US) → von Anfang bis Ende erdichtet; not a cup was left wholenicht eine Tasse blieb ganz or heil; she swallowed it wholesie schluckte es ganz or unzerkaut (hinunter); a pig roasted wholeein ganzes Schwein im or am Stück gebraten
nGanze(s) nt; the whole of the monthder ganze or gesamte Monat; we spent the whole of the morning at the airportwir waren den ganzen Morgen (lang) auf dem Flughafen; the whole of the timedie ganze Zeit; the whole of his savingsseine gesamten or sämtlichen Ersparnisse; the whole of Londonganz London; nearly the whole of our productionfast unsere gesamte Produktion; as a wholeals Ganzes; these people, as a whole, are …diese Leute sind in ihrer Gesamtheit; on the wholeim Großen und Ganzen, im Ganzen gesehen, alles in allem

whole

:
wholefood
n (also wholefoods)Vollwertkost f
adj attr (esp Brit) → Vollwert(kost)-; whole dietVollwert(kost)diät f; whole shopBioladen m
wholehearted
adjvöllig, uneingeschränkt; whole congratulations/thanks to XX (dat)gratulieren/danken wir von ganzem Herzen; to be whole in one’s cooperationsich rückhaltlos mit einsetzen
wholeheartedly
advvoll und ganz
wholeheartedness
whole hog
n to go the whole (inf)aufs Ganze gehen
wholemeal (Brit)
adjVollkorn-; whole breadVollkornbrot nt; whole pastaVollkornnudeln pl
nfeiner Vollkornschrot
whole milk
nVollmilch f

whole

:
whole note
n (esp US Mus) → ganze Note
whole number
nganze Zahl
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

whole

[həʊl]
1. adj
a. (entire, + sg n) → intero/a, tutto/a; (+ pl n) → intero/a
with my whole heart → con tutto il mio cuore
a whole lot of things → una gran quantità di cose, moltissime cose
a whole lot of people → moltissima gente
a whole lot better → molto meglio
the whole lot → tutto
the whole lot (of them) → tutti/e
3 whole days → 3 giorni interi
the whole day → tutto il giorno, il giorno intero
I read the whole book → ho letto tutto il libro or il libro per intero
the whole world → tutto il mondo, il mondo intero
whole villages were destroyed → interi paesi furono distrutti
is that the whole truth? → è tutta la verità?
but the whole purpose or point was to ... → ma lo scopo era proprio di...
b. (intact, unbroken) → intero/a; (series, set) → completo/a
to swallow sth whole → mandar giù qc intero/a (fig) he swallowed it wholel'ha bevuta tutta
to our surprise he came back whole → con nostra sorpresa tornò sano e salvo
2. n
a. (all) the whole of the filmtutto il film, il film intero
the whole of the sum → la somma intera, l'intera somma
the whole of the time → tutto il tempo
the whole of Italy → tutta l'Italia, l'Italia intera
the whole of the town → la città intera, tutta la città
as a whole → nell'insieme, nel suo insieme
on the whole → nel complesso
b. (entire unit) → tutto
they make a whole → formano un tutto
two halves make a whole → due metà fanno un intero
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

whole

(həul) adjective
1. including everything and/or everyone; complete. The whole staff collected the money for your present; a whole pineapple.
2. not broken; in one piece. She swallowed the biscuit whole.
noun
1. a single unit. The different parts were joined to form a whole.
2. the entire thing. We spent the whole of one week sunbathing on the beach.
ˈwholeness noun
ˈwholly adverb
completely or altogether. I am not wholly certain yet.
ˌwholeˈhearted adjective
sincere and enthusiastic. wholehearted support.
ˈwholemeal noun
flour made from the entire wheat grain or seed. wholemeal flour/bread.
on the whole
taking everything into consideration. Our trip was successful on the whole.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

whole

الكُلّ, بِكَامِلِهِ celek, celý hele ganz, Ganzes ολόκληρος, σύνολο entero, todo kokonainen, kokonaisuus entier, tout čitav, cjelina intero, tutto 全体, 全体の 전체, 전체의 geheel, hele hel, hele całość, cały inteiro, total целое, целый hel, helhet ทั้งหมด, สิ่งที่ครบถ้วน bütün tất cả, toàn bộ 全部, 完整的
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

whole

n. total, conjunto;
as a ___en conjunto;
a. todo-a;
the ___ daytodo el día.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

whole

adj integral, entero, total, todo el; — blood sangre total; whole-grain cereals cereales integrales; — milk leche entera; — wheat trigo integral; the whole tumor..todo el tumor
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
Now, according to our definition, Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is complete, and whole, and of a certain magnitude; for there may be a whole that is wanting in magnitude.
In extensive governments it is proper to allot one employment to one person, as there are many to serve the public in so numerous a society, where some may be passed over for a long time, and others never be in office but once; and indeed everything is better done which has the whole attention of one person, than when that [1299b] attention is divided amongst many; but in small states it is necessary that a few of the citizens should execute many employments; for their numbers are so small it will not be convenient to have many of them in office at the same time; for where shall we find others to succeed them in turn?
I had toothache for a whole month and I know there is.
As the safety of the whole is the interest of the whole, and cannot be provided for without government, either one or more or many, let us inquire whether one good government is not, relative to the object in question, more competent than any other given number whatever.
"Thus it is peremptorily his Majesty's orders that the whole French inhabitants of these Districts be removed; and I am, through his Majesty's goodness, directed to allow you liberty to carry off your money and household goods, as many as you can without discommoding the vessels you go in.
Our epoch, the epoch of the bourgeoisie, possesses, however, this distinctive feature: it has simplified the class antagonisms: Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes, directly facing each other: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.
THE whole population of the valley seemed to be gathered within the precincts of the grove.
The whole crew scampered among the bushes, and throwing themselves upon the ground, vanished from sight.
If he reached Znaim before the French, there would be great hope of saving the army; to let the French forestall him at Znaim meant the exposure of his whole army to a disgrace such as that of Ulm, or to utter destruction.
It was really put up to fifteen hundred, and with this income assured me I went out to the city whose influence changed the whole course of my literary life.
The common parent will have had in its whole organisation much general resemblance to the tapir and to the horse; but in some points of structure may have differed considerably from both, even perhaps more than they differ from each other.
The whole sphere of knowledge had been subjected to the mere authority of the Bible and of a few great minds of the past, such as Aristotle.