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Glite Dictionary
to give one's all

to give one's all

3.8
Put in as much effort and energy as possible
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : darlo todo
  • So give your all.

Examples

Synonyms

to go all out
vsto give one's all
39 4.1

To try as hard as you can with a lot of energy

conveys full effort but in a more general, calmer way
to go to great lengths
vsto give one's all
26 4.1

Try very hard to make something happen

means full effort too but without stressing the difficult steps taken
to try our best
vsto give one's all
14 2.1

To make as much effort as you can to reach a goal

is equivalent but slightly more collective or group oriented in tone
to work one's ass off
vsto give one's all
  • Offensive
13 8.4

Try very hard for a long time to do something

covers complete effort broadly, not only intense physical work
to do one's utmost
vsto give one's all
5 3.2

To try as hard as possible

states the same utmost effort but as a neutral everyday phrase
to give it one's all
vsto give one's all
4 4.9

To try as hard as possible using all your energy

is the general phrase for the same complete level of effort
to give 110%
vsto give one's all
  • Informal
2 6.4

To try as hard as possible and do more than people expect

communicates maximum effort more plainly without numeric exaggeration
to spare no effort
vsto give one's all
2 3.9

Do everything possible to achieve something

means full effort too but without stressing resource use
to leave it all on the field
vsto give one's all
  • Informal
1 6.8

To try as hard as you can during a game or competition

is the general form used across activities, not only competitions
to do one's best
vsto give one's all
1 2.5

To try as hard as you can to do something well

places emphasis on maximum effort itself rather than outcome uncertainty
to do one's damnedest
vsto give one's all
  • NSFW
1 8.6

To try very hard to do something

is the neutral way to express the same extreme effort
to put one's darnedest
vsto give one's all
  • Informal
7.8

To try as hard as possible to do something

is the standard neutral expression rather than a euphemism
to give one's best
vsto give one's all
  • Informal
2.8

To try as hard as you can when doing something

focuses more on wholehearted effort rather than just performance quality
to give full measure
vsto give one's all
5.4

Try as hard as possible to do something well

is the everyday phrasing for that same full commitment
to put in a hundred and ten percent
vsto give one's all
  • Informal
5.9

To work as hard as you can, often more than expected

means full effort but without the explicit overstatement

Antonyms

to hold back
187 3.2

Stop someone or something from moving forward

How Hard

to give one's all
  • Informal
3.8
try
  • Specialized
423 1.0

Surface Forms

give one's all infinitive
gave one's all past
given one's all past participle
giving one's all present participle
gives one's all third person singular

Morphology

give + one's + all

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'give' (to hand over or offer) + 'one's' (belonging to oneself) + 'all' (everything), so it literally means to give everything one has (i.e. all of one's effort). This pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows normal English composition, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the intended sense.

Etymology

The phrase give one's all comes from the image of handing over everything you have—give, one's, all—like a runner who uses every bit of strength at the finish line. So, it now means 'to put in as much effort as possible'.