one-way
Americanadjective
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moving, or allowing movement in one direction only.
a one-way street.
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valid for travel in one direction only.
a one-way ticket.
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without a reciprocal feeling, responsibility, relationship, etc..
It's a one-way friendship.
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not intended for return to a seller, dealer, etc., for reuse; disposable.
one-way bottles.
adjective
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moving or allowing travel in one direction only
one-way traffic
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entailing no reciprocal obligation, action, etc
a one-way agreement
Etymology
Origin of one-way
First recorded in 1815–25
Explanation
Something that's one-way only allows movement in one direction. A one-way street is marked with an arrow, and you better follow it! All cars, bikes, and motorcycles travel in the same direction on a one-way road, and you can say that traffic on one side of a divided highway is also one-way. You might encounter a one-way door at a supermarket, or a one-way line for entering a ride at an amusement park. You can also buy a one-way ticket on a bus or airplane, instead of a round trip that includes your ticket home.
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.
It was this link between one-way genetic flow, patrilocality, and the non-reciprocity of exchange that led me, in Néandertal nu in 2022, to formulate the singular paradox: “Neanderthal, Sapiens: I love you… me neither.”
From Science Daily • Jul. 7, 2026
More often, buy-now-pay-later can be a one-way street — as on-time payments aren’t considered on your credit history, while missed ones can be reported to credit bureaus and hurt a credit profile, Patel warned.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 17, 2026
When I graduated, my father gave me $400 for a one-way plane ticket to Cairns, about 3,000 miles northeast of us.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026
For proof, she was taken into a private teacher’s room, where through a one-way mirror she saw him compose himself shortly after her departure and start to play with the other children.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026
“That would earn you a one-way ticket to a boarding school in India.”
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
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.
