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

Canadian keeper Maxime Crépeau made a critical save in the 11th minute after Switzerland's Ricardo Rodríguez rushed to the net to go one-on-one with the goalie. — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 25 June 2026

In that spirit, to jump-start that process, The Athletic caught up with Dybantsa for a one-on-one interview after he was picked. — Josh Robbins, New York Times, 24 June 2026

Phillips should open up one-on-one opportunities for both of those players. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 24 June 2026

Ciro is more explosive, more one-on-one. — Karli Bendlin, PEOPLE, 24 June 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