variants or less commonly A-Z
1
or less commonly A to Z's : the full range of fundamental knowledge relating to some subject or activity
They learn the A to Z of life, or at least work, on a farm, including agricultural mechanics, carpentry, building, welding, surveying, soil sampling and fertilizing.William Labbee, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 1989
… attendees will have an opportunity to speak with angel investors, learn the A to Z's of raising capital, watch two deal reviews and learn what it takes to get investor attention.Business Wire, 24 Sept. 2008
Learn the A-Z of buying a home.Asheville Citizen-Times, 15 Dec. 2003
2
: a book or similar resource containing comprehensive information on a particular subject arranged usually in alphabetical order
The book is an A to Z of baseball.
Written as an A-to-Z manual, it covers topics from acne and eczema to sun protection and vitiligo.Julia Chance, Essence, July 2004
… an interactive A-Z for pensions, with the aim of creating the "most useful source of pension links and definitions anywhere to be found on the web."Pensions Week, 17 May 2010
Phrases
from A to Z
1
: from beginning to end
At seven, I also make a vow to become a ballerina, to read every page of the Encyclopædia Britannica from A to Z, to ice-skate, and to meet the Bay City Rollers.Monique Truong, Gourmet, September 2008
… planning a vacation from A to Z on the Internet can be daunting and time-consuming, since there are a multitude of sites devoted to travel.Diane Bair et al., Parenting, June/July 2000
: including everything
From A to Z, it took seven years to do.David Brinkley, in U.S. News & World Report, 25 Apr. 1988
2
: in every particular : in every way : in all aspects
The new health care reform act will affect how Medicare operates from A to Z.Mike Smith, Benefits Selling, May 2010
This just seems a year when the Red Sox are mismatched from A to Z.Kevin Kernan, New York Post, 18 May 2010

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of A to Z was in 1899

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Cite this Entry

“A to Z.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/A%20to%20Z. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.

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