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

The office itself has been transformed from one that was very state-focused to one with a much larger national profile. — Ken Thomas, WSJ, "Democratic Attorneys General to Bolster Fight Against Trump’s Agenda," 10 Dec. 2018 Her Majesty—dressed in a turquoise Stewart Parvin coat and Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat—also met other young ones at Coram and helped decorate the charity's Christmas tree. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "This Boy Crawling Away from the Queen Is Me in All Social Situations," 6 Dec. 2018 Lining two of the showroom’s exterior courtyard walls are various tiles, both custom ones by Barthel and 19th-century majolica. — Maria Shollenbarger, ELLE Decor, "An Italian Design Firm Transforms Discreet-but-Luxe Kitchens with a Timeless Florentine Aesthetic," 18 Oct. 2018 That, in turn, allows the engineers to use tiny rings instead of large ones. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Awesome tiny gyroscope promising but not ready for prime time," 9 Nov. 2018 This season of The Voice has been an exciting one, and audiences have grown to love contestants like 13-year-old Kennedy Holmes and Chicago native SandyRedd. — Temi Adebowale, Country Living, "'The Voice’ Contestant Cody Ray Raymond’s Shocking Exit Sparks Outrage Among Fans," 30 Oct. 2018 The Himalayas Sanjay SaxenaNomadic ExpeditionsHe’ll handle all that byzantine paperwork to secure trekking permits, arrange flight-seeing over the Himalayas, and set up one-on-ones with scholars, philanthropists, climbers, and craftspeople. — Paul Brady, Condé Nast Traveler, "2018 Top Travel Specialists We Trust," 19 Oct. 2018 Apparently Google+ users weren’t the only ones not paying attention to the social network. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "Google is shutting down Google+ after it exposed user data and neglected to tell anyone," 8 Oct. 2018 Getty ImagesMike Marsland Prince Harry had quite a few serious relationships before Meghan Markle, and that includes one of the more publicized ones with ex Cressida Bonas. — Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, "Who Is Cressida Bonas? Everything You Need to Know About Prince Harry's Ex Girlfriend," 5 Oct. 2018

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.