4 ADV [ADV with v] 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.
5 CONJ 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.
6 PHRASE 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.
7 PHRASE 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.
8 PHRASE 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.
9 PHRASE 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. [EMPHASIS ] □ For once, dad is not complaining. □ His smile, for once, was genuine.
10 PHRASE 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.
11 PHRASE If something happens once and for all , it happens completely or finally. [EMPHASIS ] □ 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.
12 PHRASE 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.
13 PHRASE 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.
14 PHRASE 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.
15 once in a blue moon → see moon
o nce-over PHRASE If you give something or someone the once-over , you quickly look at or examine them. [INFORMAL ] □ She gave the apartment a once-over.
on|coming /ɒ nkʌm I ŋ/ ADJ [ADJ n] Oncoming means moving towards you. □ She was thrown from his car after it skidded into the path of an oncoming car.
o n-dema nd ADJ [usu ADJ n] An on-demand service is available at any time that you want to use it. □ …a TV package offering thousands of on-demand programmes and movies. ● ADV [ADV after v] On-demand is also an adverb. □ Viewers increasingly choose to watch on-demand.
one ◆◆◆ /wʌ n/ (ones )
1 NUM One is the number 1. □ They had three sons and one daughter. □ …one thousand years ago. □ Our team beat them one-nil at Wembley. □ …one of the children killed in the crash.
2 ADJ If you say that someone or something is the one person or thing of a particular kind, you are emphasizing that they are the only person or thing of that kind. [EMPHASIS ] □ They had alienated the one man who knew the business. □ His one regret is that he has never learned a language.
3 DET One can be used instead of 'a' to emphasize the following noun. [EMPHASIS ] □ There is one thing I would like to know–What is it about Tim that you find so irresistible? □ One person I hate is Russ.
4 DET You can use one instead of 'a' to emphasize the following adjective or expression. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ If we ever get married we'll have one terrific wedding. □ It's like one enormous street carnival here.
5 DET You can use one to refer to the first of two or more things that you are comparing. □ Prices vary from one shop to another. □ The road hugs the coast for hundreds of miles, the South China Sea on one side, jungle on the other. ● ADJ One is also an adjective. □ We ask why peace should have an apparent chance in the one territory and not the other. ● PRON One is also a pronoun. □ The twins were dressed differently and one was thinner than the other.
6 PRON You can use one or ones instead of a noun when it is clear what type of thing or person you are referring to and you are describing them or giving more information about them. □ They are selling their house to move to a smaller one. □ We test each one to see that it flies well.
7 PRON You use ones to refer to people in general. □ We are the only ones who know.
8 PRON You can use one instead of a noun group when you have just mentioned something and you want to describe it or give more information about it. □ His response is one of anger and frustration. □ The issue of land reform was one that dominated parliamentary elections.
9 DET You can use one when you have been talking or writing about a group of people or things and you want to say something about a particular member of the group. □ 'A college degree isn't enough,' said one honors student. ● PRON One is also a pronoun. □ Some of them couldn't eat a thing. One couldn't even drink.