in all
- idiom
- In all the meetings we had last month, we covered every important topic.
- three in all
- in all cases
- four in all
Examples
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It is absurd and wonderful in all the right ways.
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There are certain mythologies that are present in all cultures over all time.
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I have a good life all in all, but I...
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All in all, it's been an exciting, very interesting trip.
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But there is, in all of this complexity, a plan.
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Where is the best coffee shop to study in all of Vancouver?
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This is what puts money in all our pockets.
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So you see this in all sorts of group settings.
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Ambition is personal, which means it comes in all shapes and all sizes.
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It's the only light we've got in all this darkness.
Synonyms
Including all parts to give a general view
In total when you add everything
A way to say you have thought about everything
In total when everything is included
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'in total' is directly derivable from combining 'in' (within/among) and 'all' (the whole/group), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning. This preposition + determiner pattern is common in English and cross-linguistically familiar, making the phrase immediately comprehensible and compositional.
Etymology
The phrase in all comes from the simple picture of adding things together: imagine laying out coins and then saying how many there are in all. So it is used to mean 'in total' or 'including everything'.