adjective
adverb
Etymology
Origin of one-time
First recorded in 1880–85
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.
On Feb. 3, Merck issued adjusted earnings per share guidance for 2026 between $5 and $5.15, which includes a one-time charge for the acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Still, economists warned that several of February’s biggest gains reflected one-time factors unlikely to repeat.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
The airline will cut costs through measures based on the price of oil, Woo wrote, adding that the moves are "not merely a one-time" initiative but a chance to "strengthen our structural foundation".
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
When their bus breaks down on the way to a showcase, a troupe of ballerinas led by “Dance Moms” alum and one-time Sia protégée Maddie Ziegler becomes stranded in a remote hotel-bar-dungeon-arms factory outside Budapest.
From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026
It turned out that the Soviet one-time pad system had a weakness.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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.
