WHOLE


Meaning of WHOLE in English

(~s)

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.

1.

If you refer to the ~ of something, you mean all of it.

He has said he will make an apology to the ~ of Asia for his country’s past behaviour...

I was cold throughout the ~ of my body.

...the ~ of August.

QUANT: QUANT of def-n

Whole is also an adjective.

He’d been observing her the ~ trip...

We spent the ~ summer in Italy that year.

= entire

ADJ: ADJ n

2.

A ~ is a single thing which contains several different parts.

An atom itself is a complete ~, with its electrons, protons and neutrons and other elements...

N-COUNT: usu sing

3.

If something is ~, it is in one piece and is not broken or damaged.

I struck the glass with my fist with all my might; yet it remained ~...

Small bones should be avoided as the dog may swallow them ~ and risk internal injury.

= intact

ADJ: v-link ADJ, v n ADJ

4.

You use ~ to emphasize what you are saying. (INFORMAL)

It was like seeing a ~ different side of somebody...

His father had helped invent a ~ new way of doing business.

= totally

ADV: ADV adj emphasis

Whole is also an adjective.

That saved me a ~ bunch of money...

ADJ: ADJ n

5.

If you refer to something as a ~, you are referring to it generally and as a single unit.

He described the move as a victory for the people of South Africa as a ~...

As a ~ we do not eat enough fibre in Britain.

PHRASE: n PHR, PHR with cl

6.

You use on the ~ to indicate that what you are saying is true in general but may not be true in every case, or that you are giving a general opinion or summary of something.

On the ~, people miss the opportunity to enjoy leisure...

= generally

PHRASE: PHR with cl

Collins COBUILD.      Толковый словарь английского языка для изучающих язык Коллинз COBUILD (международная база данных языков Бирмингемского университета) .