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.
How Rachel Scott can put together two beautiful shows at once is beyond me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Ultimately, it is the face’s unreliability that Ms. Bound-Alberti renders at once intriguing and maddening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
As I detailed on Sunday, three geographic chokepoints are on fire at once.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
And it does this while sending two signals at once - combining your household Wi-Fi with a dongle which plugs into your PC.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
If I was washing out clothes in the basin or sharpening the point on my homemade knife when the ants appeared, I stopped The Hidi ng Place at once to give them my full attention.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
