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everything

everything

251 1.0
All the things that matter most to a person
  • noun
  • /ˈɛvriˌθɪŋ/
: todo
  • So making sure everything is OK is so important.

Examples

  • But there's purpose behind everything that I feel like we're doing.

  • She always puts her family first because they mean everything to her.

  • And this is everything I eat in a day.

  • Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.

  • And I think everything you touch turns to gold.

  • I'm not going to ignore you because you mean everything to me.

  • I mean, that's really the core of everything that you teach.

  • She was everything you could want in a mum.

  • If he doesn't exist, everything depends on us.

  • They are true in art, in urbanism, in everything that speaks of life.

Synonyms

be-all and end-all
vseverything
  • Informal
4 7.6

The most important thing or main aim

means all important things for a person rather than one ultimate thing

Idioms

272 3.4

All things except one thing

All the difficult and important things people go through together

13 3.2

All the things you can see that people often take or eat quickly

9 4.1

A very large range of things you can imagine

Includes all the usual toppings and sides on a dish

3 3.3

To say that your family is the most important part of your life

Words that comfort someone by saying things will get better

A way to say there are almost all things you can think of

2 6.0

Having a good name is the most important thing

A common British habit of serving chips with most meals

A situation that seems very good but may hide problems

Compounds

theory of everything
  • Specialized
6 9.9

A single idea that explains all forces and matter in the universe

How Important

everything
251 1.0
slightness
1 6.6
trivial
110 3.9

Surface Forms

everything singular
everythings plural

Morphology

everything = every + thing (semi-transparent) = every + thing

While built from 'every' + 'thing', the sense 'all that matters' is a pragmatic narrowing/figurative use that is not purely literal.

Etymology

Everything still comes from every and thing. When someone calls something their everything, they mean 'all that matters' to them, so think of one thing becoming your 'whole world', which is why it means what matters most.