How to Use once in a lifetime in a Sentence

once in a lifetime

phrase
  • Forty days for a once in a lifetime chance.
    Marta Balaga, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
  • That phrase ‘once in a lifetime’ is the heart of the matter.
    Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Sharing this special day with you is once in a lifetime!
    Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
  • This is probably a once in a lifetime event.
    Sara Schilling, Sacbee.com, 12 Nov. 2025
  • Performances like that come once in a lifetime.
    Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2026
  • Below, an inside look at the making of a once in a lifetime event.
    Vogue, 25 June 2024
  • The chefs are cooking a once in a lifetime meal for a table of culinary icons.
    Buddha Lo, People.com, 13 June 2025
  • Henry is a high school kid who believes true love only comes once in a lifetime.
    Kori Williams, Seventeen, 20 Jan. 2023
  • These kinds of things might happen to mortal programs once in a lifetime, if that.
    Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2023
  • So the first trip is that wish trip, and that's just a once in a lifetime experience that's week long.
    Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024
  • There will be once in a generation — maybe once in a lifetime — talents.
    Scott M. Reid, Orange County Register, 19 July 2024
  • This is resulting in more people booking these ‘once in a lifetime’ trips.
    Judy Koutsky, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
  • Many guidelines now recommend testing it at least once in a lifetime.
    Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 17 Feb. 2026
  • The sterile males then mate with females, who only reproduce once in a lifetime.
    Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 7 Feb. 2026
  • This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
  • And to be sharing the stage with Lang Lang will be a dream come true; a once in a lifetime performance.
    Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 8 May 2023
  • Opportunities like this come once in a lifetime.
    Jerry Mickelson, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
  • For choreographers in the pop music realm, the chance to work with a superstar artist can come once in a lifetime.
    Rebecca Milzoff, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2026
  • Let’s seize this once in a lifetime opportunity.
    Robert Yaro, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Hajj, one of Islam’s five pillars, is required once in a lifetime for those able to perform it.
    Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 4 June 2025
  • Yeomans agrees these once in a lifetime storms are occurring more often and closer together.
    Carol Thompson, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
  • For the newest Opry members, this night is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
    Gabrielle Chenault, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Nov. 2025
  • Making your debut at La Danse is literally once in a lifetime.
    Michael Nied, People.com, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Obviously, singing with Cynthia is always once in a lifetime.
    Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 26 Nov. 2025
  • Lightning in a Bottle is truly a once in a lifetime experience.
    Steve Baltin, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
  • As our world warms, extreme weather that used to happen once in a lifetime are becoming more frequent occurrences.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN, 16 Sep. 2023
  • This is a once in a generation chance for Huracán to win the league title, and a once in a lifetime chance for Platense.
    Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
  • Guides are recommended for this once in a lifetime experience.
    Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Just like life cycles, these stages are logical and everyone goes through them, typically about once in a lifetime.
    Ray Dalio, TIME, 25 June 2024
  • Auriemma reminded his players this could be a once in a lifetime experience for them.
    Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'once in a lifetime.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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