once.
One and only one time.
Meaning & usage
One and only one time.
I have only once eaten pizza.
Formerly; during some period in the past.
He was once the most handsome man around.
I once had a motorbicycle.
At any time; ever.
If the facts once became known, we'd be in trouble.
One day, someday.
Multiplied by one: indicating that a number is multiplied by one.
Once three is three.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English ones, from Old English ānes, a remodelling (after ān (“one”)) of ǣnes, itself an extension of ǣne (“once”) with the genitive suffix -es. Equivalent to one + -s. Cognate with Saterland Frisian enst, insen (“once”), West Frisian iens (“once”), Dutch eens (“once”), German Low German eens, ins (“once”), German einst (“once”). More at one (including regarding the development of the pronunciation) and -s.
As soon as; when; after.
We'll get a move on once we find the damn car keys!
Once you have obtained the elven bow, return to the troll bridge and trade it for the sleeping potion.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English ones, from Old English ānes, a remodelling (after ān (“one”)) of ǣnes, itself an extension of ǣne (“once”) with the genitive suffix -es. Equivalent to one + -s. Cognate with Saterland Frisian enst, insen (“once”), West Frisian iens (“once”), Dutch eens (“once”), German Low German eens, ins (“once”), German einst (“once”). More at one (including regarding the development of the pronunciation) and -s.
Obsolete form of ounce.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.