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nonce

[ nons ]
/ nÉ’ns /
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See synonyms for nonce on Thesaurus.com
noun
the present, or immediate, occasion or purpose (usually used in the phrase for the nonce).
adjective
(of a word or phrase) coined and used only for a particular occasion: nonce forms such as “paintrix,” meaning “a female painter.”
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
candystring
candyfloss
candypuff
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Origin of nonce

1150–1200; Middle English nones, in phrase for the nones, by faulty division of for then ones for the once (Middle English then dative singular of the1; onesonce)

Words nearby nonce

noncandidate, noncanonical, noncash, non-Catholic, non causa pro causa, nonce, noncellular, noncellulosic, nonce word, nonchalance, nonchalant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to nonce

now, today, instant, here and now

How to use nonce in a sentence

  • The "Nonce" said that you caught him up in a line he had misquoted.'

    Gerald Fitzgerald|Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for nonce (1 of 2)

nonce1
/ (nÉ’ns) /
noun
the present time or occasion (now only in the phrase for the nonce)

Word Origin for nonce

C12: from the phrase for the nonce, a mistaken division of for then anes, literally: for the once, from then dative singular of the + anes once

British Dictionary definitions for nonce (2 of 2)

nonce2
/ (nÉ’ns) /
noun
prison slang a rapist or child molester; a sexual offender

Word Origin for nonce

C20: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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