once in a lifetime
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is required once in a lifetime for all Muslims who are physically and financially able.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026
It is the only life jacket from one of the survivors ever to be put up for sale, with auctioneers describing the rare item as a "once in a lifetime opportunity for collectors".
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
“It will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch Snoop, Reggie and Terry talk hoops with a side order of fun.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026
But what happened in Paris last spring might just have been once in a lifetime.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 25, 2025
I was far too focused and excited to be competing in my first games to let anything ruin a once in a lifetime experience.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
