all-in

1 of 2

adjective (1)

1
chiefly British : all-inclusive
2
chiefly British : being almost without restrictions
all-in wrestling

all in

2 of 2

adjective (2)

variants or less commonly all-in
1
: tired, exhausted
Atticus said as tactfully as he could that he just didn't think he could stand a pageant tonight, he was all in.Harper Lee
Inside, the invalid had gone to bed; her mother said, "She was all in," and expressed pity for her, for the first time.Edna O'Brien
2
: fully committed to or involved in something
The Diamondbacks are all-in for this year. It's why they brought in J. D. Martinez at the trade deadline. They have a healthy mix of young and veteran players, and they're looking to make a run this October.Kevin Skiver
often used in the phrase go all in
With my bonus in tow, I got the far-fetched idea I didn't feel like working that type of pace anymore. So I went all in on real estate on my own.Philip Michael

Note: In poker, to go all in is to bet everything on a hand.

The best my opponent could have at this point was a 5-high straight, so I went all in—my full $220,000 was riding on this hand. The last card was a Jack—and I was out.John Grochowski

Examples of all-in in a Sentence

Adjective (1) all-in seven-day tour of Scotland Adjective (2) was all in after an evening of dancing and partying
Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
The moment was also a memorable part of TCU’s dramatic reversal in fortunes, catalyzed by donor investment, a shrewd hiring decision and an all-in approach to the transfer portal. Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 28 Mar. 2025 The ongoing efforts to re-sign him indicate the Blue Jays are all-in on Guerrero and winning this season. Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025 Crawford’s campaign has pivoted from speaking on statewide troubles to going all-in on Musk-bashing. Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025 The Jays, all-in for the walk years of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, added right-hander Max Scherzer, outfielder Anthony Santander, second baseman Andrés Giménez and reliever Jeff Hoffman. Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for all-in

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective (2)

1901, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of all-in was in 1886

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Cite this Entry

“All-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/all-in. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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