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 February, it launched an ambitious fundraiser to prevent the development once and for all.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

The 14th Amendment repudiated that old constitutional order once and for all, and now, as interpreted, declared that belonging would no longer depend on blood, lineage, or inherited status.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026

"Today's Supreme Court decision affirms once and for all the jury's unanimous verdict that President Donald J. Trump sexually assaulted and defamed E. Jean Carroll," said Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

The whole point of their years of endeavor is to end it once and for all.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

If there’s video, she’d know once and for all her dad lied.

From "Ghost Boys" by Jewell Parker Rhodes