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.
Jack McGrail and Aiyana Da’Briel, staff leaders for the SoLa Live Accelerator program behind the event, seemed to be everywhere at once, passing out wristbands and scribbling on clipboards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Ask whether the provider offers a discount, an interest-free payment plan or a reduced price for paying an agreed amount at once.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
What follows isn’t merely speculative anthropology but tragedy: the extinction of a mode of being at once more limited and more innocent than our own.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
It comes across as at once a little artificial and sincerely felt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
All at once the big monkey stopped making a fool out of himself and turned to the little monkeys.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
