one
(wŭn)adj.1. Being a single entity, unit, object, or living being: I ate one peach.
2. Characterized by unity; undivided: They spoke with one voice.
3. a. Of the same kind or quality: two animals of one species.
b. Forming a single entity of two or more components: three chemicals combining into one solution.
4. Being a single member or element of a group, category, or kind: I'm just one player on the team.
5. Being a single thing in contrast with or relation to another or others of its kind: One day is just like the next.
6. Occurring or existing as something indefinite, as in time or position: He will come one day.
7. Occurring or existing as something particular but unspecified, as in time past: late one evening.
8. Informal Used as an intensive: That is one fine dog.
9. Being the only individual of a specified or implied kind: the one person I could marry; the one horse that can win this race.
n.1. The cardinal number, represented by the symbol 1, designating the first unit in a series.
2. A single person or thing; a unit: This is the one I like best. Of her many books, the best ones are the last two.
3. A one-dollar bill.
pron.1. An indefinitely specified individual: She visited one of her cousins.
2. An unspecified individual; anyone: "The older one grows the more one likes indecency" (Virginia Woolf).
Idioms: at one In accord or unity.
one by one Individually in succession.
Usage Note: In formal usage, the pronoun
one is sometimes used as a generic pronoun meaning "anyone":
One would hope that train service could be improved. The informal counterpart of
one is
you: You never know what to expect from her. Trouble arises when
one is used in a series of sentences, and there is a need for a relative pronoun to refer back to
one. One option is to use
one and
one's repeatedly, as in
One tries to be careful about where one invests one's money. But in a sequence of sentences this inevitably becomes tedious. A traditional alternative has been to use
he, him, and
his: One tries to be careful about his investments. This has the drawback of raising the specter of gender bias. Because of these problems, the temptation may arise to switch to
you, but this will undoubtedly be distracting to the reader. It is better to use the same generic pronoun throughout. · As a generic pronoun,
one should be avoided as the direct object of a verb or a preposition, especially if it comes at the end of the sentence. Thus the sentence
Bad dreams can make one restless may sound stilted, but
One must not tease the bears or they will attack one sounds almost ungrammatical. As a subject or in the possessive form,
one fares much better.
One should be cordial with one's colleagues sounds somewhat formal, but is acceptable. · Does the phrase
One of x, where
x is a plural noun phrase, take a singular or a plural verb? Sometimes the answer is straightforward. In the sentence
One of every ten rotors was found defective, the one defective rotor is contrasted with, rather than being an example of, the larger group of rotors. A singular verb is almost always used here because it agrees with the singular "one." In 2001, 99 percent of the Usage Panel accepted the singular verb in this sentence. In many cases, the contrastive use of
one of can be easily identified by the fact that the phrase containing
one is introduced by the definite article:
He is the only one of the students who has (not
have)
already taken Latin. Constructions such as
one of those people who are more problematic. In the sentence
He is one of those men who are constantly complaining about their jobs, the one man, rather than being in contrast to the larger group, is an example of a larger group of men who complain. The relative pronoun
who appears to refer to
men, and so the verb should be plural:
are. But the use of a singular verb in sentences like these has long been common, even among the best writers, presumably because the relative clause, though semantically modifying the adjacent noun (
men), feels like it fits equally well with the subject noun (
he). The Usage Panel, accordingly, does not have a strict preference for the plural form. In our 2014 survey, although 72 percent accepted the plural
are constantly complaining, 57 percent accepted the singular
is constantly complaining. In some cases the Panel actually preferred the supposedly incorrect singular: 64 percent accepted
The sports car turned out to be one of the most successful products that was ever manufactured in this country, while only 55 percent accepted
were ever manufactured. Several Panelists commented that they decide by ear which verb form to use, and that appears to be the most viable advice. In some (but not all) cases, the sentence can be rewritten to avoid the choice:
The sports car turned out to be one of the most successful products ever manufactured in this country. · Constructions using
one or more or
one or two always take a plural verb:
One or more cars were parked in front of the house each day this week. One or two students from our department have won prizes. Note that when followed by a fraction,
one ordinarily gets a plural verb:
One and a half years have passed since I last saw her. The fraction rule has an exception in that amounts are sometimes treated as singular entities:
One and a half cups is enough sugar. Note also that the plural rule does not apply to these one-plus-a-fraction constructions that are introduced by the indefinite article. These constructions are always singular:
A year and a half has passed since I last saw her. See Usage Note at
he1.
Word History: Why do we pronounce one (wŭn) and once (wŭns) while other words derived from one, like only, alone, and atone, are pronounced with a long o? Over time, stressed vowels commonly become diphthongs, as when Latin bona, the feminine singular of the adjective meaning "good," became buona in Italian and buena in Spanish. A similar diphthongization of one and once began in the late Middle Ages in the west of England and in Wales and is first recorded around 1400. The vowel sound underwent a series of changes, such that the word's pronunciation went from (ōn) to (o͞oōn), with two syllables, to (wōn) to (wo͞on) to (wo͝on) and finally to (wŭn). In southwest England, this diphthongization happened to other words beginning with the long o sound, such as oats, pronounced there now as (wŭts). Only in one and once did this diphthongal pronunciation gain widespread usage.
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.
one
(wʌn) determiner1. a. single; lone; not two or more: one car.
b. (as pronoun): one is enough for now; one at a time.
c. (in combination): one-eyed; one-legged.
2. a. distinct from all others; only; unique: one girl in a million.
b. (as pronoun): one of a kind.
3. a. a specified (person, item, etc) as distinct from another or others of its kind: raise one hand and then the other.
b. (as pronoun): which one is correct?.
4. a certain, indefinite, or unspecified (time); some: one day you'll be sorry.
5. informal an emphatic word for
a1,
an1:
it was one hell of a fight.
6. a certain (person): one Miss Jones was named.
7. in one all in one combined; united
8. all one a. all the same
b. of no consequence: it's all one to me.
9. at one (often foll by with) in a state of agreement or harmony
10. be made one (of a man and a woman) to become married
11. many a one many people
12. neither one thing nor the other indefinite, undecided, or mixed
13. never a one none
14. one and all everyone, without exception
15. one by one one at a time; individually
16. one or two a few
17. one way and another on balance
18. off on one informal exhibiting bad temper; ranting
19. one with another on average
pron20. an indefinite person regarded as typical of every person: one can't say any more than that.
21. any indefinite person: used as the subject of a sentence to form an alternative grammatical construction to that of the passive voice: one can catch fine trout in this stream.
22. archaic an unspecified person: one came to him.
n23. (Mathematics) the smallest whole number and the first cardinal number; unity. See also
number1 24. (Mathematics) a numeral (1, I, i, etc) representing this number
25. informal a joke or story (esp in the one about)
26. (Classical Music) music the numeral 1 used as the lower figure in a time signature to indicate that the beat is measured in semibreves
27. something representing, represented by, or consisting of one unit
28. Also called: one o'clock one hour after noon or midnight
29. a blow or setback (esp in the phrase one in the eye for)
30. (Philosophy) the one (in Neo-Platonic philosophy) the ultimate being
31. (Theology) the Holy One the One above God
32. (Theology) the Evil One Satan; the devil
[Old English ān, related to Old French ān, ēn, Old High German ein, Old Norse einn, Latin unus, Greek oinē ace]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
one
(wʌn)
adj. 1. being or amounting to a single unit or individual or entire thing: one child; one piece of cake.
2. being an individual instance or member of a number, kind, or group indicated: one member of the party.
3. existing, acting, or considered as a single unit or entity.
4. of the same or having a single kind, nature, or condition: of one mind.
5. denoting an unspecified day or time: one evening last week.
6. denoting some indefinite day or time in the future: You'll see him one day.
7. a certain (used in naming a person otherwise unknown or not described): One John Smith was chosen.
8. being a particular, unique, or only individual, item, or unit: the one person I can trust.
9. of no consequence as to the character, outcome, etc.; the same: It's all one to me.
10. a or an (used with intensifying force): That is one smart dog.
n. 11. the first and lowest whole number, being a cardinal number; unity.
12. a symbol of this number, as 1 or
I. 13. a single person or thing: one at a time.
14. a one-dollar bill.
pron. 15. a person or thing of a number or kind indicated or understood: one of the Elizabethan poets.
16. a person or a personified being: the evil one.
17. any person or thing indefinitely; anyone or anything: as good as one could desire.
18. something or someone of the kind just mentioned: The portraits are good ones.
19. Chiefly Brit. (used as a substitute for the pronoun I): Mother had been ill, and one should have realized it.
Idioms: 1. as one (man), a. with complete accord; unanimously: They voted as one.
b. in unison.
2. at one, united in thought or feeling; attuned: to feel at one with the world.
3. for one, as an illustrative instance; for example: I, for one, refuse to go along.
4. one and all, everyone.
5. one by one, singly and successively.
[before 900; Middle English oon, Old English ān; c. Old Frisian ān, ēn, Old High German, German ein, Old Norse einn, Latin unus one, Greek oínē ace on a die]
usage: one meaning “any person indefinitely” is more formal than
you, in the same sense:
One (or
you)
should never give up hope. When the pronoun must be repeated, either
one or a personal pronoun is used; the latter is more common in the U.S.:
Wherever one looks, he or she finds industrial pollution. In speech or informal writing, a form of
they often occurs:
Can one read this without thinking of their own childhood? In the construction
one of those who (or
that or
which), the antecedent of
who is considered to be the plural form, correctly followed by a plural verb:
one of those people who find fault. Yet so strong is the feeling for
one as antecedent that a singular verb is commonly found in all types of writing:
one of those people who finds fault. When
one is preceded by
only in such a construction, the singular verb is called for:
the only one of her sons who visits her. See also
he1, they.
-one
a suffix used in the names of ketones and analogous chemical compounds: lactone; quinone.
[perhaps < Greek -ōnē feminine patronymic]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
one
1. used instead of a noun phraseYou can use one instead of a noun phrase beginning with a when it is clear what sort of thing you are talking about. For example, instead of saying 'If you want a drink, I'll get you a drink', you say 'If you want a drink, I'll get you one'.
Although she wasn't a rich customer, she looked and acted like one.
The cupboards were empty except for one at the top of the bookshelves.
Be Careful!
You can't use a plural form of 'one' in this kind of sentence. Don't say, for example, 'If you like grapes, I'll get you ones'. Say 'If you like grapes, I'll get you some'.
The shelves contained Daisy's books, mostly novels but some on history and philosophy too.
We need more helicopters. There are some, but we need more.
2. used instead of a nounYou can use one or ones instead of a countable noun when the noun comes after an adjective. For example, instead of saying 'I've had this car a long time, and I'm thinking of getting a new car', you say 'I've had this car a long time, and I'm thinking of getting a new one'.
I got this trumpet for thirty pounds. It's quite a good one.
This idea has become a very popular one.
We made money from buying old houses and building new ones.
You can also use one or ones instead of a countable noun in front of a relative clause or a prepositional phrase.
Of all the subjects, science was the one I loved best.
Could I see that map again the one with lines across it?
You can use one instead of a singular countable noun when the noun comes immediately after any determiner except 'a'. For example, instead of saying 'I bought these masks when I was in Africa. That mask came from Kenya', you say 'I bought these masks when I was in Africa. That one came from Kenya'.
We need to buy a new car. This one's too small.
He took the glasses and wrapped each one carefully.
She had a bowl of soup, then went back for another one.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'the one' in front of 'of' and a name. Don't say, for example, 'This is my mug. That's the one of Jane'. You say 'This is my mug. That's Jane's'.
He has a northern accent like Brian's.
See one - you - we - they
one
you we they1. 'one'One is sometimes an impersonal pronoun, showing that something is generally done or should generally be done.
One doesn't talk about politics at parties.
You can also use the possessive determiner one's and the reflexive pronoun oneself.
Naturally, one wants only the best for one's children.
We all understood the fear of making a fool of oneself.
One, one's, and oneself are fairly formal. Here are some other ways in which you can say that something is generally done or should be done:
2. 'you'You can use you, your, yours and yourself, as we usually do in this book.
There are things that have to be done and you do them and you never talk about them.
Ignoring your neighbours is rude.
3. 'we'You can use we, us, our, ours, and ourselves to say that something is generally done by a group of people that includes yourself.
We say things in the heat of an argument that we don't really mean.
There are things we can all do to make ourselves and our children happier.
4. 'they'They can sometimes mean people in general, or a group of people whose identity is not actually stated.
They found the body in the river.
Some people use they when they are mentioning a saying or repeating a piece of gossip.
They say that the camera never lies but it doesn't always show the full picture.
He made a fortune, they say.
They, them, their, theirs, and themselves are also used to refer to words such as everyone and anyone, person, child, and student.
5. 'people'You can use people. This is also a fairly common use.
People shouldn't leave jobs unfinished.
I don't think people should make promises they don't mean to keep.
6. the passiveInstead of using one of these words and an active verb, you can sometimes use a passive verb. This is a fairly common use in formal writing.
If there is increasing pain, medical advice should be taken.
Bookings must be made before the end of December.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012