one-on-one
adjective
consisting of or involving direct individual competition, confrontation, or communication; person-to-person.
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one-on-one
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one on one
one on oneA direct encounter between two persons, especially a conflict, as in The two department heads went one on one regarding shelf space. This slangy expression almost certainly comes from sports. It is commonly used to refer to a two-person basketball game, but is also applied to the interaction of two players on opposing teams in football, soccer, and similar team sports. [c. 1960]
one-on-one
American
[wuhn-on-wuhn, -awn-]
/ ˈwʌn ɒnˈwʌn, -ɔn- /
adjective
adverb
noun
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one-on-ones
plural
idioms
one-on-one
British
adjective
one on one
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of one-on-one
An Americanism dating back to 1965–70
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“We’ve had to do a lot of training with our staff for the past three years because they were so accustomed to helping folks one-on-one and now they can’t.”
From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026
The film is burnished throughout with split panels to accentuate the party’s animated cross talk, peppered with excerpts from one-on-one interviews that William filmed later.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Saka's strike against Lille was a confident one-touch finish and came after he missed a late one-on-one opportunity in Saturday's Premier League victory over Leeds.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Pagoria considers herself a cool boss, not because she’s a laugh-a-minute but because “when I’m one-on-one with one of my direct reports, I’m only with them.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
We shot some one-on-one hoop out in the driveway, under a flickering garage light.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
What about dealing with Haaland one on one?
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Texas A&M’s M.B.A. candidates are required to do intense preparation before career fairs, and a counselor met with him one on one to help him prepare for specific interviews and practice salary negotiations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
All three players are such a threat once they get one on one in wide areas, and whoever plays full-back for the Gunners will need to bring their 'A game' with them.
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026
She tries to create the most outlandish tale possible for when relaying to guests one on one how her husband perished.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
“You ready to go one on one, Dad?”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
She also schedules weekly one-on-ones with her direct reports and makes a point of not checking emails or doing anything else to divide her attention during those meetings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
“The years of ‘Your Special Day’ of one-on-ones with each grandkid are some of their fondest memories,” the family said in her obituary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
Two one-on-ones were saved by Ederson and he ballooned another shot over from inside the box.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2024
They have had some wins in the one-on-ones with defensive linemen that we’ve seen the past two days since pads went on.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 2, 2023
In one-on-ones, advantage is to the shooter, especially if he’s as good as this guy.
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
