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at one time or another

Idioms  
  1. On various separate occasions. For example, At one time or another I've considered replacing the furnace, but so far I haven't done so. [Early 1600s]


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.

Among the names the rumor mill has coalesced around at one time or another are Idris Elba, Tom Holland, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jacob Elordi and Callum Turner.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

In all of this, he’s getting at something powerful but hard to quantify that we all perhaps have felt, if only briefly, at one time or another.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

Practically every working actor of some repute has offhandedly mentioned their interest in directing a film at one time or another.

From Salon • Jan. 1, 2026

Some 70 percent of the city's children were evacuated at one time or another, either abroad or to the west of Ukraine.

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

All of us at one time or another feel like a cinder among the snowflakes.

From "Tears of a Tiger" by Sharon M. Draper

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