1
: that moves in or allows movement in only one direction
a one-way street
2
: one-sided, unilateral
a one-way conversation
3
: that functions in only one of two or more ways

Examples of one-way in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Governments often approach communication as a one-way channel—issuing statements, publishing decisions or posting updates. Majeed Javdani, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025 There’s good reason to think that the two groups eventually traded some key bits of technology here and there, but that exchange wasn’t the one-way street that anthropologists once expected. ArsTechnica, 1 May 2025 Coffees available range in price from around $8 to $50 per pour and change daily based on what’s in the mini freezer, where Chacon and Ball dose beans at their peak post-roasting status (three weeks according to the couple) into one-way valve test tubes to store for months, or in some cases, years. Emily Bloch, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025 That’s Meghan addressing her children, by the way, not their bulging one-way inboxes. Claire Cohen, Vogue, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for one-way

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of one-way was in 1824

Cite this Entry

“One-way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-way. Accessed 5 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

one-way

adjective
1
: moving or allowing movement in one direction only
2

More from Merriam-Webster on one-way

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