FULL


Meaning of FULL in English

/ fʊl; NAmE / adjective , adverb

■ adjective

( full·er , fullest )

WITH NO EMPTY SPACE

1.

full (of sth) containing or holding as much or as many as possible; having no empty space :

a full bottle of wine

She could only nod, because her mouth was full.

My suitcase was full of books.

There were cardboard boxes stuffed full of clothes.

( BrE )

Sorry, the hotel is full up tonight.

HAVING A LOT

2.

full of sth having or containing a large number or amount of sth :

The sky was full of brightly coloured fireworks.

Life is full of coincidences.

Our new brochure is crammed full of inspirational ideas.

animals pumped full of antibiotics

She was full of admiration for the care she had received.

He smiled, his eyes full of laughter.

TALKING A LOT

3.

full of sth ( of a person ) thinking or talking a lot about a particular thing :

He was full of his new job and everything he'd been doing.

WITH FOOD

4.

( BrE also ˌfull ˈup ) having had enough to eat :

No more for me, thanks—I'm full up.

The kids still weren't full, so I gave them an ice cream each.

You can't run on a full stomach .

COMPLETE

5.

[ usually before noun ] complete; with nothing missing :

Full details are available on request.

I still don't think we've heard the full story .

a full English breakfast

A full refund will be given if the item is faulty.

Fill in your full name and address.

The country applied for full membership of the European Union.

AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

6.

[ usually before noun ] to the highest level or greatest amount possible

SYN maximum :

Many people don't use their computers to their full potential .

measures to achieve full employment

Students should take full advantage of the university's facilities.

She came round the corner at full speed .

FOR EMPHASIS

7.

[ only before noun ] used to emphasize an amount or a quantity :

She is a full four inches shorter than her sister.

BUSY

8.

busy; involving a lot of activities :

He'd had a very full life .

Her life was too full to find time for hobbies.

MOON

9.

appearing as a complete circle :

The moon was full, the sky clear.

—see also full moon

FAT

10.

( of a person or part of the body ) large and round. 'Full' is sometimes used to avoid saying 'fat' :

He kissed her full sensual lips.

They specialize in clothes for women with a fuller figure.

CLOTHES

11.

made with plenty of cloth; fitting loosely :

a full skirt

TONE / VOICE / FLAVOUR

12.

deep, strong and rich :

He draws a unique full sound from the instrument.

the full fruity flavour of the wine

IDIOMS

Most idioms containing full are at the entries for the nouns and verbs in the idioms, for example full of the joys of spring is at joy .  

- full of yourself

- in full

- to the full

■ adverb

full in / on sth directly :

She looked him full in the face.

••

WORD ORIGIN

Old English , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vol and German voll .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.