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
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
This will be the first one-on-one match between the stars in several years and is a key stop on John Cena's ongoing retirement tour, which is set to conclude in December.
—
Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Whoever is there, is working with John one-on-one.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 12 Sep. 2025
Engagement among Double Date users (prior to the Modes launch) were sending nearly 25% more messages per match than one-on-one chats, and nearly 15% of users who accepted a Double Date invite were either new to Tinder or recently reactivated their account.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
But this isn’t a simple one-on-one duel.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for one-on-one
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Whoever is there, is working with John one-on-one.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 12 Sep. 2025
Engagement among Double Date users (prior to the Modes launch) were sending nearly 25% more messages per match than one-on-one chats, and nearly 15% of users who accepted a Double Date invite were either new to Tinder or recently reactivated their account.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
But this isn’t a simple one-on-one duel.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for one-on-one
Cite this Entry
“One-on-one.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-on-one. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share