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Meaning & use

whole

adjective, noun, adverb·Everyday

Last updated

UK/həʊl/
US/hoʊl/

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    Including every part, with nothing left out.

    Grammar: Comes before a noun, usually after the or a: the whole cake.

    Patterns

    • the whole of something

    She ate the whole pizza by herself.

    The whole class passed the test.

    It rained the whole weekend.

  2. adjectiveafter a verb

    Not broken, cut or damaged.

    Grammar: Follows verbs such as stay or be: the plate stayed whole.

    The vase survived the fall whole.

    Swallow the pill whole with water.

    Only a few eggs were still whole.

  3. nouncountable

    A complete thing made of parts.

    Grammar: Often used with the or a: the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

    Patterns

    • the whole of something

    The parts make a whole when put together.

    He read the whole of the report.

    Taken as a whole, the plan is sound.

  4. adverbnot comparableinformal

    In one piece, or entirely.

    Grammar: Used informally for emphasis: a whole new world.

    The snake swallowed the egg whole.

    It was a whole other situation.

    She cooked the fish whole.

Common combinations

the whole world
The whole world watched the final.
as a whole
As a whole, the year was successful.
whole number
Five is a whole number.
whole grain
She buys whole grain bread.
the whole time
He smiled the whole time.
on the whole
On the whole, I liked the film.

Synonyms and how they differ

entire
Entire is slightly more formal and emphasizes that nothing is missing.
complete
Complete suggests nothing is missing from a set, while whole can describe a single item.
intact
Intact stresses that something has not been damaged, while whole may simply mean all of it.
total
Total is used with amounts and numbers more than whole.

Opposites

partialbrokenpart

Word family

wholly adverb
completely
wholesome adjective
good for health or character
wholeness noun
the state of being complete
wholesale noun
selling goods in large amounts

Commonly confused: whole or hole?

whole vs hole

Hole sounds the same but means an empty space or gap, while whole means complete.

Practice

She read the ___ book in one night.

Make it your own

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