ENGLISH
REFERENCE

as a whole

idiom
Meaning

you use this to talk about all the parts of something together as one group.


Examples
SIMPLE

The team performed well as a whole.

CONTEXTUAL

While some chapters of the book are slow, the story works well as a whole.

COMPLEX

When evaluating the company's performance, the board considered the financial reports and the employee feedback as a whole to determine the next strategy.

Last updated April 22, 2026