once-over

American  

[wuhns-oh-ver] / ˈwʌnsˌoʊ vər /

noun

Informal.

1. a quick look, examination, or appraisal.

2. a quick, superficial job.

   He gave the car just a once-over with a rag.

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once-over British  

noun

1. a quick examination or appraisal

2. a quick but comprehensive piece of work

3. a violent beating or thrashing (esp in the phrase give ( a person or thing ) the (or a ) once-over )

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Etymology

Origin of once-over

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

Example Sentences

But once a module is shipped to a site, local inspectors will often do their own once-over.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

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

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

That gets me to thinking that Neutral Milk Hotel is going to see me just as surely as I'm going to see them, so I give myself a once-over in the rearview.

From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan