all-hands-on-deck

adjective

: of, relating to, or being a situation in which every available person is needed or called to assist

an all-hands-on-deck effort

"Overwhelmingly the response I heard is that we need an all-hands-on-deck approach to stopping the spread of COVID-19 in Wisconsin," [Governor Tony] Evers said.—Scott Bauer

Examples of all-hands-on-deck in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The rush of vacancies last year likely created a slower market this year, but an all-hands-on-deck effort to maximize the money that goes into college football rosters is also driving the new reality. — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 19 Oct. 2026 Atlanta plays unselfish basketball, but sticks largely to its starters; Golden State has more of an all-hands-on-deck arrangement. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026 That this doesn’t play like jokey stunt casting speaks to the spirit of communal, all-hands-on-deck engagement. — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026 The White House is shifting to an all-hands-on-deck approach, with Vice President JD Vance also campaigning in Ohio today. — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for all-hands-on-deck

Word History

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of all-hands-on-deck was in 1935

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

all-hands

all-hands-on-deck

allheal

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Cite this Entry

Style

“All-hands-on-deck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/all-hands-on-deck. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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all-hands-on-deck

adjective

Examples of all-hands-on-deck in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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