From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishthe be-all and end-allthe be-all and end-allIMPORTANTthe most important part of a situation or of someone’s lifethe be-all and end-all of For Jim, making money was the be-all and end-all of his job. → be
Examples from the Corpus
the be-all and end-all• Is food and comfort the be-all and end-all?• However, it was said that looking at the employee's base was not the be-all and end-all.• However, weight is not the be-all and end-all and you must keep a check on your general shape and fitness. 