once and for all

Idioms  

1. As a settled matter, finally, permanently, as in Once and for all, we're not hiring that organist again, or We've settled that question once and for all. This expression is in effect an abbreviation for “one time and for all time.” [Late 1400s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

once and for all

In an interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg ahead of the memoir's release on Tuesday, Earl Spencer said he wanted "to put things down once and for all that were true".

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

He continued later that the two discussed how industrialism “grows only by consuming, once and for all, the living world.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Thankfully, Jenée Desmond-Harris has discovered a satisfying way to get rid of stickers and their gross residue once and for all.

From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026

"Let us celebrate. But let us not forget. And let us learn, once and for all, that war is a failure. Dialogue and diplomacy are the only way forward," he said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

Now, let’s sort this mess out once and for all.

From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling