once


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Related to once: Once Upon a Time

once

 (wŭns)
adv.
1. One time only: once a day.
2. At one time in the past; formerly.
3. At any time; ever: Once known, his face is never forgotten.
4. By one degree of relationship: my first cousin once removed.
n.
A single occurrence; one time: Once will have to do. You can go just this once.
conj.
As soon as; if ever; when: Once he goes, we can clean up.
adj.
Having been formerly; former: the once capital of the nation.
Idioms:
at once
1. All at one time; simultaneously: Everything happened at once. The view of the skyline is at once awesome, grand, and disappointing.
2. Immediately; instantly: Leave the room at once.
once more/again
1. Another time; again: Could you repeat yourself once more?
2. As usual; in typical fashion: Once more, you've proven yourself inept at chess.

[Middle English ones, from on, one, from Old English ān; see oi-no- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

once

(wʌns)
adv
1. one time; on one occasion or in one case
2. at some past time; formerly: I could speak French once.
3. by one step or degree (of relationship): a cousin once removed.
4. (in conditional clauses, negatives, etc) ever; at all: if you once forget it.
5. (Mathematics) multiplied by one
6. once and away
a. conclusively
b. occasionally
7. once and for all conclusively; for the last time
8. once in a while occasionally; now and then
9. once or twice once and again a few times
10. once upon a time used to begin fairy tales and children's stories
conj
(subordinating) as soon as; if ever or whenever: once you begin, you'll enjoy it.
n
11. one occasion or case: you may do it, this once.
12. all at once
a. suddenly or without warning
b. simultaneously
13. at once
a. immediately
b. simultaneously
14. for once this time, if (or but) at no other time
[C12 ones, ānes, adverbial genitive of on, ān one]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

once

(wʌns)

adv.
1. at one time in the past; formerly: a once powerful nation.
2. a single time: We eat out once a week.
3. even a single time; at any time; ever: if the facts once become known.
4. by a single step, degree, or grade: a cousin once removed.
n.
5. a single occasion; one time only: Once is enough.
conj.
6. if or when at any time; if ever.
7. whenever; as soon as: Once you're finished, you can leave.
adj.
8. former; one-time: the once and future king.
Idioms:
1. at once,
a. at the same time; simultaneously.
b. immediately; promptly.
2. once in a while, at intervals; occasionally.
[before 1150; Middle English ones, Old English ānes, orig. genitive of ān one]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

once

1. meaning 'only one time'

If something happens once, it happens only one time.

I've been out with him once, that's all.
I have never forgotten her, though I saw her only once.

When once is used with this meaning, it usually goes at the end of a clause.

2. used about the past

You also use once to say that something happened at some time in the past.

I once investigated this story and I don't think it's true.
'Once I saw a shooting star here,' Jeffrey says.

When once is used with this meaning, it usually goes in front of a verb or at the beginning of a clause.

You also use once to say that something was true in the past, although it is no longer true.

These walls were once brightly coloured.
She was a teacher once.

When once is used with this meaning, it usually goes after be or an auxiliary verb, or at the end of a clause.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'once' to show that something will happen at some time in the future. Instead you use one day for events in the distant future, or sometime for things that might happen fairly soon.

One day, you'll be very glad we stopped you.
I'll give you a ring sometime.
3. 'at once'

If you do something at once, you do it immediately.

She stopped playing at once.
I knew at once that something was wrong.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adv.1.once - on one occasion; "once I ran into her"
2.once - as soon as; "once we are home, we can rest"
3.once - at a previous time; "at one time he loved her"; "her erstwhile writing"; "she was a dancer once";
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

once

adverb
1. on one occasion, one time, one single time I only met her once, very briefly.
2. at one time, in the past, previously, formerly, long ago, in the old days, once upon a time, in times past, in times gone by I lived there once, before I was married.
conjunction
1. as soon as, when, after, the moment, immediately, the instant Once she got inside the house, she slammed the door.
all at once suddenly, unexpectedly, abruptly, all of a sudden, out of the blue (informal), without warning All at once there was a knock at the door.
at once
2. immediately, now, right now, straight away, directly, promptly, instantly, right away, without delay, without hesitation, forthwith, this (very) minute, pronto (informal), this instant, straightway (archaic), posthaste, tout de suite (French) I must go at once.
3. simultaneously, together, at the same time, all together, in concert, in unison, concurrently, in the same breath, in chorus, at or in one go (informal) They all started talking at once.
once and for all for the last time, finally, completely, for good, positively, permanently, for ever, decisively, inexorably, conclusively, irrevocably, for all time, inescapably, with finality, beyond the shadow of a doubt We have to resolve this matter once and for all.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

once

adverb
At a time in the past:
adjective
Having been such previously:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
ذات مَرَّهفي الوقْت الذي، عِنْدَما، حالَمامَرَةٌمَرَّه
jednou
daen gangén gangengang
kerrankertakunhan
jednom
egykoregyszer
einu sinnií eitt skiptistrax og, òegar
一度
한 번
bent kartąkadaisekartąvisiems laikamsvos tik
kadkādreizreiztiklīdzvēl vienu reizi
kedysi
brž koenkratnaenkratnekočpri priči
en gångföruttidigare
ครั้งหนึ่ง
bir kez/defabir seferindebir zamanlar-er/areskiden
một lần

once

[wʌns]
A. ADV
1. (= on one occasion) → una vez
you once said you'd never do thatuna vez dijiste que nunca harías eso
he walked away without looking back oncese alejó caminando sin mirar atrás ni una sola vez
once a thief, always a thiefquien roba una vez roba veinte
once a smoker, always a smokerel que es fumador no lo deja de ser nunca
once a weekuna vez a la or por semana
once againotra vez, una vez más
once and for allde una vez (por todas)
we were here once beforeya estuvimos aquí una vez antes
once every two daysuna vez cada dos días
for oncepor una vez
once moreotra vez, una vez más
more than oncemás de una vez
it never once occurred to meni se me occurrió
once onlysólo una vez, una sola vez
once or twiceun par de veces, una o dos veces
(every) once in a whilede vez en cuando, de cuando en cuando, cada cuando (LAm)
see also blue A1
2. (= formerly) → antes
it had once been whiteantes había sido blanco
a once powerful nationun país que antes or en su día había sido poderoso
the once opulent cityla que en su día fuera una opulenta ciudad, la otrora opulenta ciudad (frm)
the ring once belonged to my fatherel anillo había pertenecido en tiempos a mi padre
once when we were younghace tiempo cuando éramos jóvenes
Texas was once ruled by MexicoTejas estuvo en su tiempo gobernada por México
I knew him oncele conocí hace tiempo
once upon a time there was (as start of story) → érase una vez ..., había una vez ...
once upon a time they used to hang people for stealing sheep (= in the old days) → hubo un tiempo en que solían ahorcar a la gente que robaba ovejas
3. at once
3.1. (= immediately) → inmediatamente; (= now) → ahora mismo
remove from the heat and serve at onceretirar del fuego y servir inmediatamente
he read the letter at onceleyó la carta inmediatamente or en seguida
we'd better leave at oncemejor que nos vayamos ahora mismo
stop it at once!¡deja de hacer eso ahora mismo or inmediatamente!
3.2. (= simultaneously) → a la vez, al mismo tiempo
everybody was talking at oncetodo el mundo hablaba a la vez or al mismo tiempo
his style is at once original and stimulatingsu estilo es al mismo tiempo original y estimulante
all at once (= suddenly) → de repente, de pronto; (= simultaneously) → a la vez, al mismo tiempo
all at once she felt afraidde repente or de pronto le entró miedo
a number of things then happened all at onceuna serie de cosas sucedieron a la vez or al mismo tiempo
don't eat it all at onceno te lo comas todo de un golpe
you don't have to pay it all at onceno tienes que pagar todo de un golpe
B. CONJuna vez que
once you give him the chanceuna vez que le des la oportunidad, si le das la oportunidad
once they finish, we can startuna vez que or en cuanto ellos terminen podemos empezar nosotros
once the sun had set, the air turned colden cuanto se ocultó el sol, el aire se volvió frío
once inside her flat, she opened the letteruna vez dentro del piso, abrió la carta
C. N
I met her just the oncesólo la he visto una vez
just this onceesta vez sólo, esta vez nada más
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

once

[ˈwʌns]
adv
(= one time) → une fois
I've been out with him once → Je suis sortie avec lui une fois.
only once → une seule fois
more than once → plus d'une fois
once a week → une fois par semaine
once every fortnight → une fois tous les quinze jours
once a month → une fois par mois
once every three months → une fois tous les trois mois
once more (= one more time) → encore une fois
once again (= one more time) → encore une fois
once and for all → une fois pour toutes
once in a while → de temps en temps
(= on one occasion) → une fois
I've been to France once before → J'ai déjà été une fois en France.
once or twice (= a few times) → une ou deux fois
(= formerly) → autrefois
I knew him once → Je l'ai connu autrefois.
once upon a time there was ... (beginning a story)il était une fois ...
once upon a time (= at one time) → il fut un temps
Once upon a time this was quite straightforward → Il fut un temps où cela était assez simple.
for once (= exceptionally) → pour une fois
She was able, for once, to relax → Pour une fois, elle put se relaxer.
just this once → juste pour cette fois
conjune fois que
once he had left → une fois qu'il fut parti
once it was done → une fois que ce fut terminé
Once inside her flat, she opened the letter → Une fois dans son appartement, elle ouvrit la lettre.
at once adv (= immediately) → tout de suite
I knew at once that something was wrong → J'ai tout de suite su que quelque chose n'allait pas. (= simultaneously) → à la fois
They all arrived at once → Ils sont arrivés tous à la fois.
Everybody is talking at once → Tout le monde parle à la fois.
all at once (= suddenly) → tout d'un couponce-only [ˌwʌnsˈəʊnli] adj
a once-only offer → une offre uniqueonce-over [ˈwʌnsəʊvər] n (= quick look) to give sb/sth the once-over → jeter un coup d'œil sur qn/qch
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

once

adv
(= on one occasion)einmal; once a week/month/yeareinmal in der Woche/im Monat/im Jahr, einmal pro Woche/Monat/Jahr; once onlynur einmal; this has happened only once beforedas ist nur einmal zuvor passiert; he tried this once beforeer hat das schon einmal probiert; once again or morenoch einmal; once again we find that …wir stellen wiederum or erneut fest, dass …; once or twice (lit)ein- oder zweimal; (fig)nur ein paar Mal; once and for allein für alle Mal; (every) once in a while, once in a wayab und zu mal; you can come (just) this oncedieses eine Mal können Sie kommen; for onceausnahmsweise einmal; I never once wondered where you wereich habe mich kein einziges Mal gefragt, wo Sie wohl waren; she walked away, without once looking backsie ging davon, ohne auch nur ein einziges Mal zurückzublicken; if once you begin to hesitatewenn Sie erst einmal anfangen zu zögern; once a smoker, always a smokereinmal Raucher, immer Raucher; once is enougheinmal reicht
(= in past)einmal; he was once famouser war früher einmal berühmt; once upon a time there was …es war einmal
at once (= immediately)sofort, auf der Stelle; (= at the same time)auf einmal, gleichzeitig; all at onceauf einmal; (= suddenly)ganz plötzlich; they came all at oncesie kamen alle zur gleichen Zeit; don’t spend it all at oncegib es nicht alles auf einmal aus
conjwenn; (with past tense) → als; once you understand, it’s easywenn Sie es einmal verstehen, ist es einfach; once the sun had set, it turned coldals die Sonne erst einmal untergegangen war, wurde es kalt; once learned, it isn’t easily forgottenwenn man das erst einmal gelernt hat, vergisst man es nicht so leicht wieder
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

once

[wʌns]
1. adv
a. (on one occasion) → una volta
I've only met him once before → prima d'ora l'ho incontrato una volta sola
once only → solo una volta
once or twice → un paio di volte
once again or once more → ancora una volta
(every) once in a while → (una volta) ogni tanto
once a week → una volta alla settimana
once and for all → una volta per tutte
just this once → solo (per) questa volta
for once → una volta tanto
it never once occurred to me → non mi è mai venuto in mente
b. (formerly) → un tempo
I knew him once → un tempo or in passato lo conoscevo
once upon a time there was ... → c'era una volta...
c. at once (immediately) → subito, immediatamente; (simultaneously) → contemporaneamente, a un tempo
all at once (suddenly) → tutt'a un tratto, improvvisamente (in one go) → tutto in una volta
2. conjuna volta che, quando, non appena
once he had finished he left → una volta che or non appena ebbe finito andò via
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

once

(wans) adverb
1. a single time. He did it once; If I could see her once again I would be happy.
2. at a time in the past. I once wanted to be a dancer.
conjunction
when; as soon as. Once (it had been) unlocked, the door opened easily.
at once
immediately. Go away at once!
(just) for once
as an exception. Why can't you be nice to her for once?
once and for all
once and finally. Once and for all, I refuse!
once in a while
occasionally. I meet him once in a while at the club.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

once

مَرَةٌ jednou en gang einmal άπαξ una vez kerran une fois jednom una volta 一度 한 번 eens en gang raz uma vez однократно en gång ครั้งหนึ่ง bir seferinde một lần 一次
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

once

n. una vez;
adv.
all at ___al mismo tiempo, de pronto;
at ___en seguida, ahora mismo;
___ in a whilealgunas veces, de vez en cuando.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
References in classic literature ?
As the dawn was breaking the Sambhur belled Once, twice and again!
There was once upon a time a miller who was very well off, and had as much money and as many goods as he knew what to do with.
It was quite a new plan to me: he always measured each bed before he weeded it, as if he was afraid the weeding would make it shrink; and once, when it came out longer than he wished, he set to work to thump the mouse with his little fist, crying out "There now!
The general, however, had had an opportunity of seeing him once or twice since the eventful evening, and had spoken very seriously with him; but though he had seen the prince, as I say, he told his family nothing about the circumstance.
There were once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child.
She used him with the same affability as those of her clients who paid their bills once a week.
But when sixty years or more had passed, a king arose who crushed the Danish power, and who once more lit that lamp.
Thus spake once in a happy hour my purity: "Divine shall everything be unto me."
There was once upon a time a king who had a son who was very fond of hunting.
Their voluminousness of wristband, with an air of excessive frankness, should betray them at once.
You must hasten at once to the court of Ptarth, and by your presence there as well as by your words assure him that his suspicions are groundless.
He did at once, and without the smallest effort, keep the promise he had made her--always to think well of all men, and to like everyone always.