one

adjective

\ ˈwən

Definition of one

(Entry 1 of 4)

1 : being a single unit or thing one day at a time She is one year old.

2a : being one in particular early one morning The Grand Canyon is one place I'd like to visit.

b : being preeminently what is indicated one fine person She is one tough teacher.

3a : being the same in kind or quality both of one species "Puma" and "cougar" are different names for one animal.

b(1) : constituting a unified entity of two or more components The combined elements form one substance.

(2) : being in agreement or union am one with you on this

4a : some sense 1 will see you again one day

b : being a certain individual specified by name one John Doe made a speech

5 : only sense 2a the one person she wanted to marry

one

noun

Definition of one (Entry 2 of 4)

1 : the first whole number above zero — see Table of Numbers

2 : the number denoting unity

3a : the first in a set or series —often used with an attributive noun day one

b : an article of clothing of a size designated one wears a one

4 : a single person or thing has the one but needs the other

5 : a one-dollar bill

at one

: at harmony : in a state of agreement

for one

: as one example I for one disagree

one

pronoun

Definition of one (Entry 3 of 4)

1 : a certain indefinitely indicated person or thing saw one of his friends

2a : an individual of a vaguely indicated group : anyone at all one never knows

b —used as a third person substitute for a first person pronoun I'd like to read more but one doesn't have the time.

3 : a single instance of a specified action felt like belting him one— John Casey

-one

noun suffix

Definition of -one (Entry 4 of 4)

: ketone or related or analogous compound or class of compounds lactone quinone

Synonyms Using One as a Pronoun: Usage Guide More Example Sentences Learn More about one

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Synonyms for one

Synonyms: Adjective

alone, lone, one-off, only, singular, sole, solitary, special, sui generis, unique

Synonyms: Noun

bone [slang], buck, clam, dollar, smacker [slang]

Using One as a Pronoun: Usage Guide

Pronoun

Sense 2a is usually a sign of a formal style. A formal style excludes the participation of the reader or hearer; thus one is used where a less formal style might address the reader directly. for the consequences of such choices, one has only oneself to thank — Walker Gibson This generic one has never been common in informal use in either British or American English, and people who start sentences with one often shift to another pronoun more natural to casual discourse. when one is learning the river, he is not allowed to do or think about anything else — Mark Twain Use of one to replace a first-person pronoun—sense 2b—has occasionally been criticized. It is more common in British English than in American. I'm watching this pretty carefully and I hope that the issue will come up in the Lords and one may be able to speak about it — Donald Coggan

Examples of one in a Sentence

Adjective

There is one minute left in the game. I have a few one-dollar bills in my purse. She is one year old.

Noun

one, two, three, four, … I don't have any ones. Can you break a five? I'll be there at one.

Pronoun

“I'll have an iced tea, please.” “I'll have one, too.” Their dog died, but they plan to get another one. “You should wear the blue one.” “The one with the stripes?” “No, the other one.” I'd like to see the ring next to that one. Which one did you like better? He is the one who called the police. That's one possible answer—but not the only one. I would like to read more, but one doesn't have the time.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive. — Johannes Himmelreich, BostonGlobe.com, "The everyday moral challenges of self-driving cars," 30 Mar. 2018 Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive. — Johannes Himmelreich, BostonGlobe.com, "The everyday moral challenges of self-driving cars," 30 Mar. 2018 Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive. — Johannes Himmelreich, BostonGlobe.com, "The everyday moral challenges of self-driving cars," 30 Mar. 2018 Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive. — Johannes Himmelreich, BostonGlobe.com, "The everyday moral challenges of self-driving cars," 30 Mar. 2018 Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive. — Johannes Himmelreich, BostonGlobe.com, "The everyday moral challenges of self-driving cars," 30 Mar. 2018 Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive. — Johannes Himmelreich, BostonGlobe.com, "The everyday moral challenges of self-driving cars," 30 Mar. 2018 Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive. — Johannes Himmelreich, BostonGlobe.com, "The everyday moral challenges of self-driving cars," 30 Mar. 2018 Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive. — Johannes Himmelreich, BostonGlobe.com, "The everyday moral challenges of self-driving cars," 30 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Then if one of them is able to delay gratification, and the other one isn’t, does that matter? — Julia Belluz, Vox, "7 bad science and health ideas that should die with 2018," 26 Dec. 2018 Unlike many of the other discussion threads in this year-end wrap-up, this one was largely harmonious and positive. — Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, "Talk amongst yourselves: 2018’s most-commented stories on Ars," 24 Dec. 2018 Instagram account @CommentsByCelebs captured even more interactions between Reese and Hollywood's finest on her snarky post, and each one was better than the next. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "Reese Witherspoon Responds to Rumors That She's Pregnant With Her Fourth Child," 18 Mar. 2019 Any active treatment works better than a passive one. — Isadora Baum, SELF, "7 Foam Rolling Mistakes You Should Avoid," 16 Mar. 2019 The next one—the Catherine Salon—is alive with color, an eye-popping array of bright reds and blues. — Penelope Rowlands, ELLE Decor, "Designer Alessandra Branca's New Private Client Atelier by the Seine," 15 Mar. 2019 Anyone who's ever traveled by plane knows that the process of boarding is almost invariably nightmarishly slow, and anyone who's looked into the reasons for why know there are better methods than the one most airlines use. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "The Beautifully Efficient Airplane Boarding Method That Mere Humans Just Can't Pull Off," 5 Feb. 2019 And Stern argues that this flyby is even more challenging than the one at Pluto, when New Horizons came within 7,750 miles of the dwarf planet’s surface. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "On New Year’s Day, a spacecraft will zoom by the most distant object humanity has ever visited," 27 Dec. 2018 After Close's stellar acting was passed over once again at the Oscars, this film may just be the one that finally gets her some recognition. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Glenn Close's Sunset Boulevard Remake Is Moving Forward with a Newly Announced Director," 4 Mar. 2019

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