lone

adjective \ ˈlōn \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: lone in a Sentence

Definition of lone

1 a : having no company : solitary

b : preferring solitude

2 : only, sole

3 : situated by itself : isolated

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loneness

play \ˈlōn-nəs\ noun

See lone defined for English-language learners

See lone defined for kids

Examples of lone in a Sentence

the lone ripe apple in the entire bag
just one lone cow in the middle of the field

Recent Examples of lone from the Web

The lone exception Saturday was Brandon Belt, who was 3-for-4 and drove in both of the Giants’ runs.

— ann killion, SFChronicle.com, "With veterans on the mound and rotation all set, this could be Giants’ moment," 8 July 2018
With Confidence To treat sudden breakouts, this spot treatment from Kiehl’s (formulated with oil-absorbing ginger root, salicylic acid, and frankincense) works fast to reduce the size of a lone blemish and diminish redness overnight.

— jenna rennert, Vogue, "6 Ways to Get Rid of Acne for Good This Summer," 8 July 2018
The lone exception – and it’s significant – involves the central relationship between Rosalind (Melisa Pereyra) and Orlando (Chris Klopatek).

— mike fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "American Players Theatre's comedy 'As You Like It' makes every word count," 19 June 2018
The lone exception: Koehn, who went straight from the mound to the plate and hugged Kocon.

— pete grathoff, kansascity, "Pitcher ends game with strikeout, then hugs batter: 'Our friendship is more important'," 11 June 2018
Nevada was the lone exception, with a slight reduction in its rate.

— mitch smith, New York Times, "5 Takeaways on America’s Increasing Suicide Rate," 9 June 2018
LeBlanc, a Texas A&M-Commerce pledge, retired 14 of the next 15 batters, with the lone exception Lillie Grotenhuis, who LeBlanc hit on the elbow.

— jason mcdaniel, Houston Chronicle, "Katy bounces back to beat Atascocita in Game 2," 25 May 2018
The lone exception: quarterback Brandon Doughty, who was taken in the seventh round in 2016.

— jordan mcpherson and adam h. beasley, miamiherald, "Who is Miami Dolphins sixth-round pick Cornell Armstrong? | Miami Herald," 28 Apr. 2018
The lone exception was an 83-80 victory in the 2011 Eastern Conference finals against the Chicago Bulls.

— ira winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Winderman's view: The series that cut Whiteside down to size," 25 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lone.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of lone

Middle English, short for alone

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

lone Synonyms

Phrases

on one's own;

Synonym Discussion of lone

alone, solitary, lonely, lonesome, lone, forlorn, desolate mean isolated from others. alone stresses the objective fact of being by oneself with slighter notion of emotional involvement than most of the remaining terms.