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.
Captive in bucolic panopticons, their lives are at once aesthetically alluring, depressingly regressive and anthropologically fascinating.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
One reason investors have soured on 60/40 funds recently is their abysmal returns in 2022, when major stock and bond indexes both fell at once.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
Where long-simmered soups deepen gradually, these come alive all at once.
From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026
These flows are nonspecific, meaning they can carry many types of proteins at once.
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
It made my heart pinch and swell all at once.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
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.
