once-over
Americannoun
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once-overs
plural
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a quick look, examination, or appraisal.
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a quick, superficial job.
He gave the car just a once-over with a rag.
noun
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a quick examination or appraisal
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a quick but comprehensive piece of work
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a violent beating or thrashing (esp in the phrase give ( a person or thing ) the (or a ) once-over )
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of once-over
An Americanism dating back to 1910–15
Explanation
If you quickly survey today's cafeteria offerings, you give them a once-over. After this swift once-over, you'll probably order the pizza again, like you do every day. Once-over is an informal noun, a great way to describe any brief inspection, search, or examination. When you're signing a contract, it's smart to read it carefully rather than just giving it a once-over. But when you're choosing a piece of Halloween candy from the basket your neighbor is offering, it's fine to grab one after a once-over. This American English slang term was coined at the beginning of the twentieth century.
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.
Less costly inspections will still have someone under the car doing all the things that many sellers have already done – looking for leaks, inspecting axles and tires, and giving the car a good once-over.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 17, 2024
If you like grilling, it’s important to give your grill a once-over before the first big cookout of the season.
From New York Times ● Jun. 4, 2023
After tidying up the room and doing a final once-over, the 52-year-old was done chit-chatting and impatient to start his day, collecting recyclables.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2022
Even if you’re an accomplished skier, going with someone whose job it is to intimately know the mountain helps unlock experiences you may not have noticed when you gave the piste map a once-over.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 17, 2021
The fat man gave Salvador and Lupita the once-over.
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
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.
