all along
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
You mean, you knew all along, but you let me make a fool of myself?
He's a thief, a criminal, he nicked my bag and I had to sift through every shit - bin in Bristol till I found my dreams and found out what I ought to've known all along if you hadn't …
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review.
Common questions
What does “all along” mean?
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Is “all along” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.