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.

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.

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.

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]

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" in one case, one time
	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"; erst, erstwhile, formerly, at one time

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.

once in a while occasionally, sometimes, at times, from time to time, on and off, irregularly, on occasion, now and again, periodically, every now and then, every so often, at intervals, off and on He phones me once in a while.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

once

adverb

At a time in the past:

already, before, earlier, erstwhile, formerly, previously.

Archaic: aforetime, beforetime.

adjective

Having been such previously:

erstwhile, former, late, old, onetime, past, previous, quondam, sometime, whilom.

Translations

ذات مَرَّهفي الوقْت الذي، عِنْدَما، حالَمامَرَةٌمَرَّه

jednou

daen gangén gangengang

einmal einst sobald Tröpfchen früher

άπαξ μόλις παλιά άλλοτε

una vez una vez que anteriormente antes antiguamente

kerrankertakunhan

une fois une fois que aussitôt que autrefois dès que

jednom

egykoregyszer

einu sinnií eitt skiptistrax og, òegar

una volta subito un tempo insieme non appena

一度

한 번

bent kartąkadaisekartąvisiems laikamsvos tik

kadkādreizreiztiklīdzvēl vienu reizi

однажды однократно как-то когда-то

kedysi

brž koenkratnaenkratnekočpri priči

en gångföruttidigare

ครั้งหนึ่ง

bir kez/defabir seferindebir zamanlar-er/areskiden

một lần

一次曾经一旦

once

[wʌns]

A. ADV

1. (= on one occasion) → una vez
you once said you'd never do that → una vez dijiste que nunca harías eso
he walked away without looking back once → se alejó caminando sin mirar atrás ni una sola vez
once a thief, always a thief → quien roba una vez roba veinte
once a smoker, always a smoker → el que es fumador no lo deja de ser nunca
once a week → una vez a la or por semana
once again → otra vez, una vez más
once and for all → de una vez (por todas)
we were here once before → ya estuvimos aquí una vez antes
once every two days → una vez cada dos días
for once → por una vez
once more → otra vez, una vez más
more than once → más de una vez
it never once occurred to me → ni se me occurrió
once only → sólo una vez, una sola vez
once or twice → un par de veces, una o dos veces
(every) once in a while → de vez en cuando, de cuando en cuando, cada cuando (LAm)
see also blue A1

2. (= formerly) → antes
it had once been white → antes había sido blanco
a once powerful nation → un país que antes or en su día había sido poderoso
the once opulent city → la que en su día fuera una opulenta ciudad, la otrora opulenta ciudad (frm)
the ring once belonged to my father → el anillo había pertenecido en tiempos a mi padre
once when we were young → hace tiempo cuando éramos jóvenes
Texas was once ruled by Mexico → Tejas estuvo en su tiempo gobernada por México
I knew him once → le 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 once → retirar del fuego y servir inmediatamente
he read the letter at once → leyó la carta inmediatamente or en seguida
we'd better leave at once → mejor 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 once → todo el mundo hablaba a la vez or al mismo tiempo
his style is at once original and stimulating → su 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 afraid → de repente or de pronto le entró miedo
a number of things then happened all at once → una serie de cosas sucedieron a la vez or al mismo tiempo
don't eat it all at once → no te lo comas todo de un golpe
you don't have to pay it all at once → no tienes que pagar todo de un golpe

B. CONJ → una vez que
once you give him the chance → una vez que le des la oportunidad, si le das la oportunidad
once they finish, we can start → una vez que or en cuanto ellos terminen podemos empezar nosotros
once the sun had set, the air turned cold → en cuanto se ocultó el sol, el aire se volvió frío
once inside her flat, she opened the letter → una vez dentro del piso, abrió la carta

C. N
I met her just the once → sólo la he visto una vez
just this once → esta 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 où
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

conj → une 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 [ˈwʌnsəʊvə^r] n (= quick look) to give sb/sth the once-over → jeter un coup d'œil sur qn/qch

once

adv

(= on one occasion) → einmal; once a week/month/year → einmal in der Woche/im Monat/im Jahr, einmal pro Woche/Monat/Jahr; once only → nur einmal; this has happened only once before → das ist nur einmal zuvor passiert; he tried this once before → er hat das schon einmal probiert; once again or more → noch 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 all → ein für alle Mal; (every) once in a while, once in a way → ab und zu mal; you can come (just) this once → dieses eine Mal können Sie kommen; for once → ausnahmsweise einmal; I never once wondered where you were → ich habe mich kein einziges Mal gefragt, wo Sie wohl waren; she walked away, without once looking back → sie ging davon, ohne auch nur ein einziges Mal zurückzublicken; if once you begin to hesitate → wenn Sie erst einmal anfangen zu zögern; once a smoker, always a smoker → einmal Raucher, immer Raucher; once is enough → einmal reicht

(= in past) → einmal; he was once famous → er 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 once → auf einmal; (= suddenly) → ganz plötzlich; they came all at once → sie kamen alle zur gleichen Zeit; don’t spend it all at once → gib es nicht alles auf einmal aus

conj → wenn; (with past tense) → als; once you understand, it’s easy → wenn Sie es einmal verstehen, ist es einfach; once the sun had set, it turned cold → als die Sonne erst einmal untergegangen war, wurde es kalt; once learned, it isn’t easily forgotten → wenn 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. conj → una volta che, quando, non appena
once he had finished he left → una volta che or non appena ebbe finito andò via

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.

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

once

n. una vez;

adv.

all at ___ → al mismo tiempo, de pronto;

at ___ → en seguida, ahora mismo;

___ in a while → algunas veces, de vez en cuando.