How to Use only in a Sentence

only

1 of 2 adjective
  • Biden was not the only politician to weigh in on the deal.
    Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Nov. 2023
  • But that’s not the only way to keep score in the final round.
    Doug Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2023
  • Itzel peeks out from the only bedroom in the home closed off by a sliding door.
    USA Today, 12 June 2023
  • This soundtrack is still the only solo project from one of them.
    Matt Thompson, SPIN, 15 Dec. 2023
  • Whitney wasn’t the only housewife on the couch to have her secret spilled.
    Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 9 Nov. 2023
  • Makenzie Sweeney doubled and scored the only run for Yorkville (36-3).
    Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2023
  • This is the only place that Hailenicael shops for groceries.
    Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2024
  • Portsmouth isn’t the only place that has age limits for trick-or-treating.
    Annie Atherton, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2023
  • But the Willow field is not the only major fossil-fuel project in the works.
    Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2023
  • The medium-sized machine is the only model on sale, at the moment.
    Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 30 July 2023
  • That meeting is the only time the two have met in person since Biden took office.
    Nectar Gan, CNN, 4 Sep. 2023
  • The store will be the only place in North Carolina where such sales are legal.
    Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
  • And those weren’t the only comments that made some of his associates cringe.
    Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2023
  • Totality is the only part of the eclipse that's safe to look at without them.
    Lee V. Gaines, NPR, 25 Mar. 2024
  • Kardashian wasn’t the only sister in the famous bunch to show off her style!
    Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 27 Dec. 2023
  • Our only gripe is with the battery life, which left much to be desired in our testing.
    Louryn Strampe, WIRED, 26 Dec. 2023
  • That will likely be the only way to teach your guests commitment.
    Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 2 June 2023
  • Wonka wasn’t the only musical from Warners to hit the right note.
    Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Dec. 2023
  • Her mother wasn’t the only one proud of the accomplishment.
    Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2023
  • The only knock on McDermott has been how each of the past two Bills seasons have ended.
    John Wawrow, BostonGlobe.com, 23 June 2023
  • The tower includes ground-level retail space, and is the only high-rise in the Historic Third Ward.
    Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024
  • Swift wasn’t the only celebrity in attendance at the showdown, which found the Raiders defeating the Chiefs, 20-14.
    Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 26 Dec. 2023
  • In the last two decades, the only year when fewer sales were reported in June was 2020, when the pandemic was in full swing.
    Andrew Brinker, BostonGlobe.com, 18 July 2023
  • The sister is the only person who knows the depth of Asuelu Pulaa’s cheating — which Kalani states is upwards of 10 or 12 times.
    Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 3 Oct. 2023
  • So as far as the show not coming out yet, the only frustrating part is wanting to see it and having to wait.
    Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024
  • The bandages are edited to be the only part of the photo that’s in-color, a lilac purple shade that matches the cover of Sour.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 13 June 2023
  • Virginia Tech won the only meeting between the programs, in 2015.
    Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Sep. 2023
  • Then, Trump told the crowd that electing him over Biden would be the only way to save the country from being run like those many in the crowd had escaped from.
    Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 9 Nov. 2023
  • The apology did not explain why the only images shared showed Black men.
    Kerry Breen, CBS News, 23 June 2023
  • Recounting the story was the only way of writing myself in.
    Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023
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only

2 of 2 adverb
  • The club is for women only.
  • She had been there only twice in her life.
  • It was quiet in the room, but only for a moment.
  • She is only partly to blame.
  • He was only a baby when his father died.
  • It's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.
  • Leave her alone. She's only a kid.
  • Do you really have to leave? It's only eight o'clock.
  • There are only two more weeks until summer vacation.
  • The building is only about 10 years old.
  • At the end of the final episode, the rest of the cast were only given their own scenes.
    Pat Saperstein, Variety, 26 June 2023
  • But that’s the weird part, as that’s only half of the show’s eight total seasons.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
  • For the last year, my number one job, and only job, was to get better.
    Julian Sancton, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2024
  • And the conditions around the lake are only getting worse.
    Kate Furby, Scientific American, 26 June 2023
  • Our show is based only on the work of Times journalists.
    Josh Ocampo, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2023
  • Knowles’ only beef with the defense appeared to be from just a few third-down attempts.
    Andrew Gillis, cleveland, 5 Sep. 2023
  • The key is to cut in longer layers, with the longest only a centimeter or so shorter than the the base length.
    Elle Turner, Glamour, 4 Dec. 2023
  • The native of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania died of measles and had only served in the Army about 60 days, the same source said.
    Erica Lamberg, Fox News, 15 June 2023
  • Pizzetti, Malipiero, Nono, Berio (to name only Italians) — gone, for the most part.
    Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 14 June 2023
  • But Hurts wasn’t only looking for Brown in this victory that moves the Eagles to 7-1.
    Scott Thompson, Fox News, 29 Oct. 2023
  • Since bunions don’t go away on their own, these are only stopgap measures.
    Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2023
  • Upturning the soil in search of new life will only prevent it from growing.
    Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 14 June 2023
  • His whiff percentile of 83 only adds to his successful at-bat mix.
    Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2023
  • Laid on top of the eerie beats that have become the norm in his hometown, his raps cast a spell that can only be broken with a splash of holy water.
    Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 2 Jan. 2024
  • That night the sun set at 7:11, which only furthered my inclination to hole up.
    Samantha Mann, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2023
  • Having child labor laws on the books at both the federal and state levels is only half the battle.
    Betsy Wood, The Conversation, 26 June 2023
  • As the ball caromed off the wall, Mookie Betts — whose leadoff home run had been the Dodgers’ only scoring to that point — raced home from second.
    Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2023
  • Phoenix proper gets only about one-third of its water from the Colorado River.
    Daniel Rothberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
  • Her family was told only days ago that she may have been kidnapped by Hamas.
    Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 17 Oct. 2023
  • When Mahomes mentioned the restaurant as his favorite, West said their love of the former Red Raider only grew stronger.
    Alison Booth, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'only.' 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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