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
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.
While the company declined to share absolute numbers, it said that 50.6% of its one-way customers in California were leaving, while 49.4% were arriving.
From Los Angeles Times
It need not be a one-way street either.
From BBC
It is a common condition among older people in which one-way valves inside the veins don’t work properly, which makes it harder for blood to travel up the legs to the heart.
Mr. Leiter notes that Israel’s relationship with the U.S. is no longer a “one-way street,” it’s a “real partnership,” with Israeli technologies benefiting Americans.
For other Syrians, the journey is now one-way.
From BBC
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.