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
Chris Kenning, USA Today, 1 May 2025
Norway once rated behind Denmark and Sweden as a high-quality TV powerhouse.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2025
For Silver, there can no peace until the new school, and the resurgence of Cobra Kai headed by his once friend and now nemesis Kreese, gets some payback.
—Demetrius Patterson, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for once
Adverb
Many would like to see a boost in coal to support the small towns that once survived off the industry but over the years have faced poverty and depopulation.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 1 May 2025
Norway once rated behind Denmark and Sweden as a high-quality TV powerhouse.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
But Smith also had some choice words for the once and future president.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2025
For Silver, there can no peace until the new school, and the resurgence of Cobra Kai headed by his once friend and now nemesis Kreese, gets some payback.
—Demetrius Patterson, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for once
Recent Examples of Synonyms for once
Adverb
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Hideki Matsuyama also missed the cut, snapping a streak of 19 made in a row when teeing it up in the majors, formerly the longest active streak.—
Justin Ray,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
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The arrangement comes after Something Weird LLC (formerly Something Weird Video) shuttered its download-to-own service and in-house DVD-R manufacturing operations last October.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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Douglas Brick, a former student at the University of Utah, disappeared on Oct. 12, 1973, according to information from police and the school in Salt Lake City.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
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Kriss is a New York City attorney, former Brooklyn assistant district attorney and former NYPD deputy commissioner for trials.—
Arnold Kriss,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Of course, the new standard will be backward-compatible with Wi-Fi 6 devices, as well as older Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) ones.—
Iyaz Akhtar,
PC Magazine,
13 May 2025
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Applicants must be 6 years or older as of the beginning of Oct. 4 to participate.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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Court records show three of the burglary charges are from Seminole County and the two other burglary charges, along with the petit theft charge, are from a Volusia County warrant.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 May 2025
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Because the fire is in a residential area, fighting the fire has strained the immediate water grid, Wallace said, leading the department to bring in water from other, larger water mains.—
Racquel Bazos,
Baltimore Sun,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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Manfred, like other MLB commissioners before him, had rejected Rose’s petitions for reinstatement while the erstwhile slugger was still alive.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
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Radcliffe will play Arthur Tobin, an award-winning filmmaker who moves into Reggie's mansion to shoot an immersive documentary about the erstwhile star athlete.—
Mekishana Pierre,
EW.com,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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To view the list of past winners, visit the Mega Millions website.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
11 May 2025
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Despite having the most expensive payroll in Major League Soccer and a roster led by Argentine icon Lionel Messi, Miami has lost four of its past five games, including a 4-1 drubbing on the road Saturday against Minnesota United.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
11 May 2025
Adjective
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Instead, Trump took a number of potshots at his sometime opponent during a Tuesday press conference, less than 48 hours after ordering the Bureau of Prisons to reopen Alcatraz as a federal penitentiary.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2025
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The fang gang present themselves as yearning European folk enthusiasts and later as jigging fiends and sometime metalheads.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But beggars can’t be choosers, so Vargas-Keller will be something to watch in round two of the City Series in late July at Sox Park.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
19 May 2025
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Elissa was scheduled for more imaging tests in late August to see whether the tumors responded to the new therapy.—
Kristen Jordan Shamus,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Once.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/once. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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