as in former
having been such at some previous time
the once child star is now a lawyer in the entertainment industry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in when
just at the moment that
you should have stopped wrestling once you knew someone was getting hurt, not five minutes later
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of once
Chantelle Lee, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
If your once-vigorous plant is starting to look sickly, spider mites may be the culprits.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2025
Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2025
The price target increases come as industry giant BYD last week announced ultra-fast charging technology, on top of its launch in February of driver-assist systems for a range of its cars — signaling the once niche feature is going mainstream.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for once
Adverb
By law, federal employees are guaranteed back pay once a government shutdown ends, but the bill was intended to provide pay for those working in the interim.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
If your once-vigorous plant is starting to look sickly, spider mites may be the culprits.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
You might be left with tiny scratches that make your once pristine appliances and surfaces look less than stellar.
—Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2025
The price target increases come as industry giant BYD last week announced ultra-fast charging technology, on top of its launch in February of driver-assist systems for a range of its cars — signaling the once niche feature is going mainstream.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for once
Recent Examples of Synonyms for once
Adverb
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Greenwood Republican Stacie Smith is seeking election to the vacant Senate District 26 seat formerly held by the late Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch, Smith announced on Thursday.—
Ella McCarthy,
Arkansas Online,
31 Oct. 2025
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Her character formerly dated Jay on the show, as well as firefighter Kelly Severide from Chicago Fire, portrayed by Taylor Kinney.—
Francesca Gariano,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And importantly, Timor-Leste’s ASEAN membership is an affirmation of its sovereignty, putting it in equal standing with its former occupier, Indonesia, within the regional bloc.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
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Shared soap opera experience wasn't the only thing Vergara had in common with former Days of Our Lives actress and current Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Estimates based on a family with two 40-year-old parents with two children, 10 years and 5 years old.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
31 Oct. 2025
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So long as that situation continues, the 43-year-old’s allegedly arrogant and stand-offish treatment of his players will not worry the club hierarchy too much.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Times’ error immediately garnered write-ups in The Washington Post, The New York Times, New York Magazine, and other outlets.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
30 Oct. 2025
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Those same records also showed that the only other purchases of BAM in the state of Colorado had been from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife agency and the National Parks Service — both of which maintained careful records of any use of the drug, per the indictment.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The thieves made off with nine items of jewelry belonging to members of France's erstwhile royal families.—
Jamie Gray,
NBC news,
21 Oct. 2025
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Rounding out the character lineup is Frau von Luber, an erstwhile aristocrat who’s reduced to being the housekeeper in newly wealthy Olim’s castle—which used to belong to her.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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These past two days have reinforced for me the importance of codifying principles and creating a road map to achieve them.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
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While Crunchyroll was already doing fine before it was acquired by Sony, pairing it with Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group these past few years has given these films a bit more worldwide marketing and distribution reach to make those hits more consistent.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Donald had a new lady called Marla Maples, who was a sometime actress, putting it delicately.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
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They were not allowed to stay in private homes — annoying for sometime Paris resident Serena Williams — but could eat out at Paris restaurants.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Oppenheim Group's latest agent didn't get off to a great start with fellow soap alum Chrishell Stause.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
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By late 1990, police suspected Wuornos of the murders and tracked down Moore to help convince Wuornos to confess.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Once.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/once. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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