one-man show

Idioms

Also, one-man band. A person who does or manages just about everything, as in This department is a one-man show—the chairman runs it all, or John conducts the interviews, writes the articles, solicits ads, deals with the printer—he's a one-man band. This idiom alludes to the actor or artist responsible for the entire performance or exhibit, or the musician who plays every instrument in the group. [First half of 1900s]

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.

See Examples For:

one-man show

“I told my wife, ‘I should do a one-man show about all my doctors because they’re so funny.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

This was a one-man show performed in two costumes.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

But Tuchel cautioned that his side won’t be able to count on another one-man show.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

And he reveals that, when Joey’s acting career failed to take off, he planned a one-man show for himself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

He was preparing a group of these pieces for a one-man show when he heard about the party and he instantly abandoned his own work and began a giant pincushion for Doc.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023