Adjacent Words

Once definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ONCE, adv. wuns. [from one.]
1. One time.
Trees that bear mast are fruitful but once in two years.
2. One time, though no more. The mind once tainted with vice is prone to grow worse and worse.
3. At one former time; formerly.
My soul had once some foolish fondness for thee, but hence 'tis gone.
4. At the same point of time; not gradually.
At once the winds arise, the thunders roll.
At once, at the same time; as, they all moved at once; hence, when it refers to two or more, the sense is together, as one.
This hath all its force at once, on the first impression.
Once is used as a noun, when preceded by this or that; as this once, that once.
ONCE, n. ons. A quadruped of the genus Felis, less than the panther, of a whitish gray color. It is found in Africa and Asia, is easily tamed and is employed like a dog in hunting.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adv
1: on one occasion; "once I ran into her" [syn: once, one time, in one case]
2: as soon as; "once we are home, we can rest"
3: at a previous time; "at one time he loved her"; "her erstwhile writing"; "she was a dancer once"; [syn: once, formerly, at one time, erstwhile, erst]

Merriam Webster's

I. adverb Etymology: Middle English ones, from genitive of on one Date: 12th century 1. one time and no more <rode a horse only once> 2. at any one time ; under any circumstances ; ever <didn't once thank me> 3. at some indefinite time in the past ; formerly <was once a booming mining town> 4. by one degree of relationship <first cousin once removed> II. noun Date: 13th century one single time ; one time at least <please be on time this once> III. adjective Date: 1691 that once was ; former <a once successful actor> IV. conjunction Date: 1761 at the moment when ; as soon as <once she spoke, I recognized her>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adv., conj., & n. --adv. 1 on one occasion or for one time only (did not once say please; have read it once). 2 at some point or period in the past (could once play chess). 3 ever or at all (if you once forget it). 4 multiplied by one; by one degree. --conj. as soon as (once they have gone we can relax). --n. one time or occasion (just the once). Phrases and idioms: all at once 1 without warning; suddenly. 2 all together. at once 1 immediately. 2 simultaneously. for once on this (or that) occasion, even if at no other. once again (or more) another time. once and for all (or once for all) (done) in a final or conclusive manner, esp. so as to end hesitation or uncertainty. once (or every once) in a while from time to time; occasionally. once or twice a few times. once-over colloq. a rapid preliminary inspection or piece of work. once upon a time at some vague time in the past. Etymology: ME anes, ones, genit. of ONE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Once Once, adv. [OE. ones, anes, an adverbial form fr. one, on, an, one. See One-, -Wards.] 1. By limitation to the number one; for one time; not twice nor any number of times more than one. Ye shall . . . go round about the city once. --Josh. vi. 3. Trees that bear mast are fruitful but once in two years. --Bacon. 2. At some one period of time; -- used indefinitely. My soul had once some foolish fondness for thee. --Addison. That court which we shall once govern. --Bp. Hall. 3. At any one time; -- often nearly equivalent to ever, if ever, or whenever; as, once kindled, it may not be quenched. Wilt thou not be made clean? When shall it once be? --Jer. xiii. 27. To be once in doubt Is once to be resolved. --Shak. Note: Once is used as a noun when preceded by this or that; as, this once, that once. It is also sometimes used elliptically, like an adjective, for once-existing. ``The once province of Britain.'' --J. N. Pomeroy. At once. (a) At the same point of time; immediately; without delay. ``Stand not upon the order of your going, but go at once.'' --Shak. ``I . . . withdrew at once and altogether.'' --Jeffrey. (b) At one and the same time; simultaneously; in one body; as, they all moved at once. Once and again, once and once more; repeatedly. ``A dove sent forth once and again, to spy.'' --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ounce Ounce, n. [F. once; cf. It. lonza, Sp. onza; prob. for lonce, taken as l'once, fr. L. lynx, Gr. ?, or an (assumed) fem. adj. lyncea, from lynx. Cf. Lynx.] (Zo["o]l.) A feline quadruped (Felis irbis, or uncia) resembling the leopard in size, and somewhat in color, but it has longer and thicker fur, which forms a short mane on the back. The ounce is pale yellowish gray, with irregular dark spots on the neck and limbs, and dark rings on the body. It inhabits the lofty mountain ranges of Asia. Called also once.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If something happens once, it happens one time only. I met Wilma once, briefly... Since that evening I haven't once slept through the night... Mary had only been to Manchester once before. ADV: ADV with v • Once is also a pronoun. 'Have they been to visit you yet?'—'Just the once, yeah.'... Listen to us, if only this once. PRON: the/this PRON 2. You use once with 'a' and words like 'day', 'week', and 'month' to indicate that something happens regularly, one time in each day, week, or month. Lung cells die and are replaced about once a week... We arranged a special social event once a year to which we invited our major customers. ADV: ADV a n 3. If something was once true, it was true at some time in the past, but is no longer true. The culture minister once ran a theatre... I lived there once myself, before I got married... The house where she lives was once the village post office... My memory isn't as good as it once was. ADV: ADV with v, ADV with be, ADV with group/cl 4. If someone once did something, they did it at some time in the past. I once went camping at Lake Darling with a friend... We once walked across London at two in the morning... Diana had taken that path once. ADV: ADV with v 5. If something happens once another thing has happened, it happens immediately afterwards. The decision had taken about 10 seconds once he'd read a market research study... Once customers come to rely on these systems they almost never take their business elsewhere... CONJ 6. If something happens all at once, it happens suddenly, often when you are not expecting it to happen. All at once there was someone knocking on the door. = all of a sudden PHRASE: PHR with cl 7. If you do something at once, you do it immediately. I have to go, I really must, at once... Remove from the heat, add the parsley, toss and serve at once... The audience at once greeted him warmly. = immediately PHRASE: PHR with v 8. If a number of different things happen at once or all at once, they all happen at the same time. You can't be doing two things at once... No bank could ever pay off its creditors if they all demanded their money at once... PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR adj/n and adj/n 9. For once is used to emphasize that something happens on this particular occasion, especially if it has never happened before, and may never happen again. For once, dad is not complaining... His smile, for once, was genuine. PHRASE: PHR with cl [emphasis] 10. If something happens once again or once more, it happens again. Amy picked up the hairbrush and smoothed her hair once more... Once again an official inquiry has spoken of weak management and ill-trained workers. PHRASE: PHR with v, PHR with cl 11. If something happens once and for all, it happens completely or finally. We have to resolve this matter once and for all... If we act fast, we can once and for all prevent wild animals in Britain from suffering terrible cruelty. PHRASE: PHR with v [emphasis] 12. If something happens once in a while, it happens sometimes, but not very often. Earrings need to be taken out and cleaned once in a while. = occasionally PHRASE: PHR with cl 13. If you have done something once or twice, you have done it a few times, but not very often. I popped my head round the door once or twice... Once or twice she had caught a flash of interest in William's eyes... PHRASE: PHR with cl, PHR with v 14. Once upon a time is used to indicate that something happened or existed a long time ago or in an imaginary world. It is often used at the beginning of children's stories. 'Once upon a time,' he began, 'there was a man who had everything.'... Once upon a time, asking a woman if she has a job was quite a straightforward question. PHRASE: PHR with cl 15. once in a blue moon: see moon

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

ad. 1. One time. 2. Formerly.

Moby Thesaurus

alone, already, ancient, anytime, anyway, anywise, apart, at a stroke, at all, at any time, at intervals, at once, at one time, at times, at whatever time, before, by itself, bygone, conclusively, decidedly, definitely, directly, earlier, early, erstwhile, finally, for good, fore, former, formerly, heretofore, if ever, immediately, immemorial, in a jiffy, in a trice, in a wink, in the singular, individually, instantly, just this once, late, long ago, no matter when, now and again, occasionally, old, olden, on one occasion, once for all, one by one, one day, one fine morning, one time, onetime, only once, particularly, past, per se, periodically, positively, prehistoric, previous, previously, primeval, primitive, prior, promptly, quondam, recent, right away, separately, severally, simultaneously, single-handedly, singly, singularly, some time ago, sometime, sometimes, sporadically, then, time was, together, whenever, whensoever, whilom, without delay