Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Once
Once
(ŏns)
, Noun.
(Zool.)
The ounce.
1.
For one time; by limitation to the number one; 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 quenchedWilt thou not be made clean? When shall it
once
be? Jer. xiii. 27.
To be
Is
once
in doubtIs
once
to be resolved. Shakespeare
☞ 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 1828 Edition
Once
ONCE
,adv.
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
,Noun.
ons.
Definition 2024
once
once
See also: önce
English
| 1 | 2 > | |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal : one Ordinal : first Adverbial : once | ||
Adverb
once (not comparable)
- (frequency) One and only one time.
- I have only once eaten pizza.
- (temporal location) Formerly; during some period in the past.
- He was once the most handsome man around. I once had a bicycle just like that one.
- 1879, Richard Jefferies, The Amateur Poacher, chapterII:
- Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill. Ikey the blacksmith had forged us a spearhead after a sketch from a picture of a Greek warrior; and a rake-handle served as a shaft.
- 1944, Miles Burton, chapter 5, in The Three Corpse Trick:
- The hovel stood in the centre of what had once been a vegetable garden, but was now a patch of rank weeds. Surrounding this, almost like a zareba, was an irregular ring of gorse and brambles, an unclaimed vestige of the original common.
- 2013 June 14, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama's once hip brand is now tainted”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 18:
- Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet.
- (mathematics) Multiplied by one: indicating that a number is multiplied by one.
- Once three is three.
- As soon as.
- 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:
- In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.
-
Coordinate terms
Derived terms
Translations
one and only one time
|
|
formerly
|
|
See also
- at once
- once again, once more
- once and for all
- once in a blue moon
- once in a while
- once removed
- once upon a time
Conjunction
once
- 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.
- Once he is married, he will be able to claim the inheritance.
- 2011 September 27, Alistair Magowan, “Bayern Munich 2 - 0 Man City”, in BBC Sport:
- Not only were Jupp Heynckes' team pacey in attack but they were relentless in their pursuit of the ball once they had lost it, and as the game wore on they merely increased their dominance as City wilted in the Allianz Arena.
Translations
as soon as
|
Statistics
Anagrams
Asturian
| < 10 | 11 | 12 > |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal : once Ordinal : decimoprimeru | ||
Etymology
Numeral
once (indeclinable)
- (cardinal) eleven
Derived terms
French
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Noun
once f (plural onces)
- ounce (avoirdupois ounce)
- (figuratively, by extension) a little bit
Etymology 2
From Old French lonce which became l'once (la + once), itself from Vulgar Latin *luncea, from Latin lynx, ultimately from Ancient Greek λύγξ (lúnx), or possibly borrowed from Italian lonza.
Noun
once f (plural onces)
Anagrams
Galician
| < 10 | 11 | 12 > |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal : once Ordinal : undécimo | ||
Etymology
From Old Portuguese onze, from Latin ūndecim.
Pronunciation
Numeral
once (indeclinable)
- (cardinal) eleven
Spanish
| < 10 | 11 | 12 > |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal : once Ordinal : undécimo | ||
Pronunciation
- (z-s distinction) IPA(key): /ˈon.θe/
- (seseo merger) IPA(key): /ˈon.se/
Etymology 1
From Latin ūndecim, from unus (“one”) + decem (“ten”).
Numeral
once
- (cardinal) eleven
Etymology 2
Snacks were typically taken at 11 am.
Noun
once f (plural onces)
- (Latin America) snack (bread with tea or coffee).