This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
only
[ ohn-lee ]
/ ˈoʊn li /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adverb
adjective
conjunction
but (introducing a single restriction, restraining circumstance, or the like): I would have gone, only you objected.
Older Use. except; but: Only for him you would not be here.
QUIZ
IS THIS EIGHTH GRADE VOCAB QUIZ FEASIBLE FOR YOU?
Prove that nothing is amiss with your vocabulary skills by taking this quiz on popular eighth grade vocabulary.
Question 1 of 10
What does the word “confiscate” mean?
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Idioms about only
- as a matter of fact; extremely: I am only too glad to go.
- unfortunately; very: It is only too likely to happen.
only too,
usage note for only
The placement of only as a modifier is more a matter of style and clarity than of grammatical rule. In a sentence like The doctor examined the children, varying the placement of only results in quite different meanings: The doctor only examined the children means that the doctor did nothing else. And The doctor examined only the children means that no one else was examined. Especially in formal writing, the placement of only immediately before what it modifies is often observed: She sold the stock only because she needed the money. However, there has long been a tendency in all varieties of speech and writing to place only before the verb ( She only sold the stock because she needed the money ), and such placement is rarely confusing.
Words nearby only
onliner, online thesaurus, onload, onlooker, onlooking, only, only-begotten, only too, on-message, on-mike, onnagata
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use only in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for only
only
/ (ˈəʊnlɪ) /
adjective (prenominal)
adverb
sentence connector
but; however: used to introduce an exception or conditionplay outside: only don't go into the street
Word Origin for only
Old English ānlīc, from ān one + -līc -ly ²
usage for only
In informal English, only is often used as a sentence connector: I would have phoned you, only I didn't know your number. This use should be avoided in formal writing: I would have phoned you if I'd known your number. In formal speech and writing, only is placed directly before the word or words that it modifies: she could interview only three applicants in the morning. In all but the most formal contexts, however, it is generally regarded as acceptable to put only before the verb: she could only interview three applicants in the morning. Care must be taken not to create ambiguity, esp in written English, in which intonation will not, as it does in speech, help to show to which item in the sentence only applies. A sentence such as she only drinks tea in the afternoon is capable of two interpretations and is therefore better rephrased either as she drinks only tea in the afternoon (i.e. no other drink) or she drinks tea only in the afternoon (i.e. at no other time)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with only
only
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.