as in former
having been such at some previous time
the once child star is now a lawyer in the entertainment industry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in when
just at the moment that
you should have stopped wrestling once you knew someone was getting hurt, not five minutes later
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of once
Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
Burnley then struck twice on matchday three, once from a cross and once from a long throw, while Manchester City and Chelsea both found the net with headers on the next two weekends.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2025
Kanye also attacked Jay-Z and his wife, Beyoncé, along with their children, over feeling abandoned by his once collaborator.
—Justin Curto, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for once
Adverb
The Bridge once again hosted a fashion week party in its Milan digs, with the set designed to take guests on an imaginary journey along the Tyrrhenian coast.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
Burnley then struck twice on matchday three, once from a cross and once from a long throw, while Manchester City and Chelsea both found the net with headers on the next two weekends.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
The price target increases come as industry giant BYD last week announced ultra-fast charging technology, on top of its launch in February of driver-assist systems for a range of its cars — signaling the once niche feature is going mainstream.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2025
Kanye also attacked Jay-Z and his wife, Beyoncé, along with their children, over feeling abandoned by his once collaborator.
—Justin Curto, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for once
Recent Examples of Synonyms for once
Adverb
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Affleck’s younger sibling, Fin, formerly known as Seraphina, publicly used the memorial service of Garner’s father to share their new name and identity for the first time in April 2024.—
Heather Hunter,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Sep. 2025
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Hacienda Cazadores, a Northern Mexican-style restaurant, opens Thursday in the downtown La Mesa space formerly occupied by Por Favor, which closed in June after 50 years in business.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The funding amounts approved for the 2025-26 school year are $6,864 per student and $7,627 for each former recipient of the Succeed Scholarship, according to the Education Department.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Oct. 2025
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The journalists were among 15 people arrested during the July 17 demonstration held in support of Imam Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant and former Cincinnati Children's chaplain who was detained by ICE several days before.—
Quinlan Bentley,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested and charged with capital murder.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
26 Sep. 2025
-
That Tamra and Gretchen are both doing the same thing, trafficking in old rumors and nastiness not about the husband, as Meredith Marks would say, but about each other.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette maintains full editorial control over this article and all other coverage.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the fall equinox and has several other names.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Worried that Dessalines’s enemies might eventually force upon him the same fate suffered by his erstwhile friend and ally, Christophe refused to be sworn into office.—
Marlene L. Daut
September 22,
Literary Hub,
22 Sep. 2025
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Being able to generate code was finally getting a chance to shine in the bright lights of another erstwhile reason to use generative AI and LLMs.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
While dangling off the side of a cliff, their past conflicts begin to emerge, though they are forced to rely on one another to survive.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
30 Sep. 2025
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At one point our conversation halts as Bailey gestures toward the window, where two men stroll past arm in arm.—
Olivia-Anne Cleary,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Among the travelling group was Penny Cuthbertson, a friend of Lucian’s and his sometime subject.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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Those two little words, your place, offer a first big hint as to the sometime-couple’s current status.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But when will Swift's latest project be released on Spotify and Apple Music?—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
2 Oct. 2025
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Ineffective policies for the EV market could mirror the loss of the solar energy industry, says Wendy Cutler, senior vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute, where too-late action left America outpaced and China controlling more than 80 percent of the world’s solar panels.—
Rebecca A. Fannin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Once.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/once. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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