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the whole story

NOUN
brass tacks
Synonyms
WEAK
basic facts basics cases essential facts essentials facts nitty-gritty realities the dope the scoop truth of the matter

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While those rules explain how many genetic traits are passed from parents to offspring, scientists have also known that DNA sequences are not the whole story.

From Science Daily • Jun. 1, 2026

Does that put the lie to the whole story everyone wants to tell about John Roberts versus Donald Trump?

From Slate • Jun. 1, 2026

That guy’s there and he’s awesome, but it’s not the whole story.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

An uncomfortable asymmetry is buried inside the whole story.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Hanako thought about telling them the whole story, but she couldn’t.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

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