all of something including all its component elements or parts
"Europe considered as a whole"
"the whole of American literature"
Something complete, without any parts missing.
"She ate a whole apple before even finishing her lunch."
In plain English: A whole is something that is complete and has all its parts together without being broken apart.
"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
Usage: Use this noun to refer to an entire entity or group considered as one single unit rather than its individual components. It is often paired with the preposition "of," such as in the phrase "the whole of Europe."
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
"gave his whole attention"
"a whole wardrobe for the tropics"
"the whole hog"
"a whole week"
"the baby cried the whole trip home"
"a whole loaf of bread"
Entire, undivided.
"She ate the whole cake by herself without sharing any slices."
In plain English: Whole means complete and not broken into pieces.
"The whole cake was eaten by the children."
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (`whole' is often used informally for `wholly')
"he was wholly convinced"
"entirely satisfied with the meal"
"it was completely different from what we expected"
"was completely at fault"
"a totally new situation"
"the directions were all wrong"
"it was not altogether her fault"
"an altogether new approach"
"a whole new idea"
"she felt right at home"
"he fell right into the trap"
In entirety; entirely; wholly.
"She decided to eat the whole cake because no one else was coming over for dessert."
In plain English: To do something completely and without holding back.
"He ate the whole pie by himself."
The word "whole" comes from Old English hāl, originally meaning healthy or safe. It traveled into modern English through Middle English while its spelling shifted to include a 'wh-' sound around 1400.