one-hit wonder
Americannoun
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a person or group, especially a musical artist or band, known only for a single successful work, with their other work remaining largely unknown.
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a single successful work, especially a song, that is the only thing a person or group is known for.
Other Word Forms
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.
Back in the ‘80s, some guy named Falco was a rock star for, like, two minutes when his one-hit wonder “Rock Me Amadeus” charted.
From Salon • May 16, 2026
“We don’t want to be one-hit wonders,” interim coach Tim Skipper said Monday, “that’s the whole key to this thing — do not be a one-hit wonder, get back to work.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025
No. 1 — for years afterward he operated at a lower public profile, tagged by some as a one-hit wonder.
From New York Times • Jun. 18, 2024
However, what could have been the start of a boom for Asian artists turned out to be little more than a one-hit wonder.
From BBC • Feb. 16, 2024
What gives exercise the edge is that it’s not a one-hit wonder.
From Slate • May 20, 2023
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.
