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Synonyms

one-on-one

American  
[wuhn-on-wuhn, -awn-] / ˈwʌn ɒnˈwʌn, -ɔn- /

adjective

  1. consisting of or involving direct individual competition, confrontation, or communication; person-to-person.

    a one-on-one discussion.

adverb

  1. in direct encounter.

    I'd rather settle this with her one-on-one.

noun

  1. a meeting or confrontation between two persons.

idioms

  1. go one-on-one with, to play directly against (an opposing player).

one-on-one British  

adjective

  1. denoting a relationship or encounter in which someone is involved with only one other person

    a one-on-one meeting
"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
one on one More Idioms  

  1. A direct encounter between two persons, especially a conflict, as in The two department heads went one on one regarding shelf space. This slangy expression almost certainly comes from sports. It is commonly used to refer to a two-person basketball game, but is also applied to the interaction of two players on opposing teams in football, soccer, and similar team sports. [c. 1960]

Etymology

Origin of one-on-one

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

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.

Men tend to have bigger friend groups because they feel they don’t need to spend a lot of one-on-one time to feel close.

From The Wall Street Journal

Bee will learn about users through one-on-one conversations with them and uses those insights to find their most compatible matches on the platform.

From Barron's

The whole thing is odd, especially since Mom just said we should try to find a way for me to have one-on-one time with Dad.

From Literature

The purest form of feedback, he said, comes from one-on-one interactions in real life.

From The Wall Street Journal

That one-on-one connection with the fans was really, really lovely.

From Los Angeles Times

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.