one-night stand

noun

1

: a performance (as of a play or concert) given (as by a traveling group of actors or musicians) only once in each of a series of localities

2

a

: a locality used for one-night stands

b

: a stopover for a one-night stand

3

: a sexual encounter limited to a single occasion

also : a partner in such an encounter

Examples of one-night stand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the 2015 timeline, Bree is about to marry Evan, though their relationship will no doubt be complicated by Stephen having sent her a voice memo of Evan confessing to his one-night stand with Lucy. —Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026

The buoyant track sees Robyn rapping about having one-night stands while 10 weeks pregnant via IVF. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2026

The play saw the actors star as two strangers who have a drunken one-night stand after meeting at a wedding. —Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026

The former beauty queen, who is married to Martina Navratilova, claimed there was friction with the Brazilian art dealer due to a one-night stand years ago. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 27 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for one-night stand

• analysand
• misunderstand
• ampersand
• beforehand
• behindhand
• bottomland
• contraband
• countermand
• dixieland
• fairyland
• fatherland
• firebrand