Nearby Words
adverb
1.
at one time in the past; formerly: I was a farmer once; a once powerful nation.
2.
a single time: We ate there just once. We go to a movie once a week.
3.
even a single time; at any time; ever: If the facts once become known, it will be just too bad.
4.
by a single step, degree, or grade: a cousin once removed.
adjective
5.
former; having at one time been: the once and future king.
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Once in a while
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
conjunction
6.
if or when at any time; if ever.
7.
whenever; as soon as: Once you're finished, you can leave.
noun
Idioms8.
a single occasion; one time only: Once is enough.
9.
all at once,
a.
simultaneously: The children were running, screaming, and throwing things all at once.
b.
suddenly: All at once the rain came down.
10.
at once,
a.
at the same time; simultaneously: Don't all speak at once.
b.
immediately; promptly: Tell him to come at once!
11.
once and again, repeatedly: He has been told once and again not to slam the door.
12.
once and for all, decisively; finally: Let's settle this problem once and for all. Also, once for all.
13.
EXPANDonce in a while, at intervals; occasionally: She stops in to see us once in a while.
14.
once or twice, a very few times; infrequently: I've seen her in the elevator once or twice.
15.
COLLAPSEonce upon a time, at some unspecified past time, especially a long time ago: Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a prince and princess.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To once in a while
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
once
c.1200, anes, from ane "one" + adverbial genitive. Replaced O.E. æne. Spelling changed as pronunciation shifted from two syllables to one after c.1300. Pronunciation change to "wuns" parallels that of one. As an emphatic, meaning "once and for all," it is attested from
EXPANDc.1300, but this now is regarded as a Pennsylvania German dialect formation. Meaning "in a past time" (but not necessarily just one time) is from c.1250. Once upon a time as the beginning of a story is recorded from 1595. Slang once-over "inspection" is from 1915. At once originally (c.1230) meant "simultaneously," later "in one company" (c.1300), and preserved the sense of "one" in the word; the phrase typically appeared as one word, atones; the modern meaning "immediately" is attested from 1531.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
once in a while
Occasionally, not very often, as in Once in a while I enjoy going fishing. [Mid-1800s] Also see every now and then; from time to time.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Idioms & Phrases
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