adjective
adverb
Etymology
Origin of one-time
First recorded in 1880–85
Explanation
Use the adjective one-time to mean "long ago" or "former." For example, a one-time movie star was famous in the past, but might not be recognized today. A one-time chess champion might have won competitions years and years ago. A one-time international spy may have had exciting adventures in her youth, although today she could very well be an unassuming elderly lady. The one-time star of a basketball team isn't anymore, and a one-time dog owner might have switched to keeping cats instead.
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.
Stripping out certain one-time items, such as restructuring costs and effects from the sale of its Dickies brand last year, earnings were 0 cents a share.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
They will also continue to get Dominion’s current quarterly dividend through the completion of the deal alongside a one-time cash payment of $360 million.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
Insight from former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and one-time teammate David Beckham, as well as a gripping soundtrack from one half of 1990s dance music legends Orbital, make it a compelling watch.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization excluding one-time items—the company’s preferred profit metric—is forecast at between 5.7 billion and 6.1 billion euros, Merck said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
So does too much rice, the one-time staple that in the postfamine era has become a food for the rich in North Korea.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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.
