1
as in only
being the one or ones of a class with no other members
that's the one author I would stand in line for hours to get an autograph from
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in certain
known but not named
one person that I know said that it was the best movie he had ever seen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of one
Rebecca Lazar, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
Electric front loaders are rarely inexpensive, and this one is no exception – starting at €6,495 (which converts to around US$7,500 – though there's no word on international availability).
—New Atlas, 31 Oct. 2025
SI.com, 3 Aug. 2019
Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive.
—Johannes Himmelreich, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Mar. 2018
See All Example Sentences for one
Noun
The wrong one can create confusion, lead to notification overload, and add unnecessary complexity to the workday.
—Rebecca Lazar, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
Electric front loaders are rarely inexpensive, and this one is no exception – starting at €6,495 (which converts to around US$7,500 – though there's no word on international availability).
—New Atlas, 31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Drinkwater didn't make one appearance in a Chelsea shirt last season, whilst Bakayoko spent the season in Italy on loan at AC Milan.
—SI.com, 3 Aug. 2019
Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive.
—Johannes Himmelreich, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Mar. 2018
See All Example Sentences for one
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one
Noun
-
Brown’s descendants, and their spouses, are responsible for pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the community and spending countless hours serving on local nonprofit boards.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Officials have argued the government shutdown hinders the Department of Agriculture's ability to distribute additional dollars.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
After a while, sticky notes appear, written by someone else who’s not exactly pleased about the doodler’s defacement of the only astronomy reference work in the school library.—
Caroline Carlson,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
So far, the only loud opinion on that side of the ball has come from requests for releases and trades.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Even over-the-counter basics, like children’s Tylenol or chewable Pepto-Bismol, can be surprisingly hard to find abroad, especially in countries where pharmacies stock different formulations or ban certain medications altogether.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Combs is slated to be released on May 8, 2028, but could be released earlier for good behavior or completing certain programs in prison.—
Adam Reiss,
NBC news,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Brockermeyer family is one of the most prominent football names in the history of Fort Worth, but its connection to TCU was severed over a few hundred thousand bucks.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Twenty minutes before legal shooting light on October 2, Taylor saw the giant buck 40 yards away in the food plot.—
Bob McNally,
Outdoor Life,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Commodores have started 7-1 with the lone loss to Alabama.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
30 Oct. 2025
-
In his lone season in Dinkytown, Cooley led the Gophers with 22 goals and 38 assists in 39 games as the 2022-23 team made it to the NCAA title game in Tampa.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The unnamed ringleader apparently also tried to sell a copy of a world-famous painting by the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn known as The Syndics, a 17th century portrait of members of Amsterdam's cloth makers' guild, for roughly $150 million.—
NPR,
NPR,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Chen kept ledgers of bribes, according to the indictment, and in 2019 a $3 million yacht was bought for a senior official in an unnamed foreign government.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Another anonymous source closer to the production characterized the split differently.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Sotheby’s in New York will sell the work, which has been in private (and anonymous) hands since 2017, on November 18.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Video
Some Odd Words with ISMO: "The One-derful Won"
Comedian ISMO tries to figure out 'one' and 'two'
Cite this Entry
“One.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share