at once
Idioms-
At the same time, as in We can't all fit into the boat at once . [First half of 1200s] Also see at one time , def. 1.
-
Immediately, as in Mother told the children to come inside at once . [First half of 1500s]
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.
"Goals are like ketchup. When they come, they come all at once," he said.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026
I’m glad now I didn’t get it all at once.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
The impressive new complex has at its center a 225-foot-tall tower that is at once ill-suited to its task—housing a museum—and queasily unbecoming for the leader of a republic.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026
"We need countermeasures that are going to work against all these future variants at once, not just one at a time."
From Science Daily • Jun. 13, 2026
It was close, yet it came from all directions at once.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
