one-on-one

adjective or adverb

ˌwən-ȯn-ˈwən 

ˌwən-än-

1

: playing directly against a single opposing player

2

: involving a direct encounter between one person and another

Synonyms of one-on-one

• face-to-face
• head-to-head
• toe-to-toe
• head-on
• eyeball-to-eyeball

Examples of one-on-one in a Sentence

bragged that no one could go one-on-one with her in a game of darts and win

Recent Examples on the Web

Against one-on-one coverage, Tyquan Thornton broke open on a deep out-breaking route, and with pressure in his face, Patrick Mahomes hurled a pass that Thornton caught for a 30-yard gain and a fresh set of downs. — Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026

Brady Tkachuk took a pair of shots one-on-one against Carolina goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov, but both were stopped. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026

Cramer leads a team of graduate students who attend public hearings and community group meetings and who conduct one-on-one interviews with people about data centers. — Scott Neuman, NPR, 21 Sep. 2026

Those are questions that will play out as the game dictates by who’s winning the one-on-one matchups. — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for one-on-one

• anyone
• everyone
• megaton
• overdone
• overrun
• begun
• grandson
• gudrun
• handgun
• homespun
• outdone
• outrun