once

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once^¹

/wʌn(t)s/
/wʌn(t)s/ UK
/wɒn(t)s/ UK
/wʌn(t)s/ US

Rhymes with -ʌns, -ɒns, -ʌnts, -ɒnts

Where it comes from

From Middle English ones, from Old English ānes, a remodelling (after ān (“one”)) of ǣnes, itself an extension of ǣne (“once”) with the genitive suffix -es. Equivalent to one + -s. Cognate with Saterland Frisian enst, insen (“once”), West Frisian iens (“once”), Dutch eens (“once”), German Low German eens, ins (“once”), German einst (“once”). More at one (including regarding the development of the pronunciation) and -s.

adverb

not comparable One and only one time. I have only once eaten pizza.
Similar: one time
not comparable Formerly; during some period in the past. He was once the most handsome man around.
Similar: formerly
not comparable, obsolete At any time; ever. If the facts once became known, we'd be in trouble.
not comparable, obsolete One day, someday. The wisdom of God thought fit to acquaint David with that court which we shall once govern.
not comparable Multiplied by one: indicating that a number is multiplied by one. Once three is three.

Similar: once, oncet, yance, wunst · Opposite: four times, often, thrice, twice

conjunction

As soon as; when; after. Near-synonym: immediately
Similar: immediately

once^²

noun onces

obsolete Obsolete form of ounce

Once^³

noun Onces

slang A fan of the Korean girl band Twice.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: onetime, sometime, when, erstwhile, past, quondam, formerly, former, one time, sometimes, though, yet, anytime, whenever, wherever, that

adverb

Similar: once, oncet, yance, wunst · Opposite: four times, often, thrice, twice

Translations

Every language

adv one and only one time

Español	una vez
한국어	한 번 han beon
日本語	一度 ichido, 一回 ikkai, 一遍 ippen
中文	一次 yī cì, 一遍 yī biàn
हिन्दी	एक बार ek bār
Português	uma vez
Français	une fois
Deutsch	einmal
Italiano	una volta
Ελληνικά	μια φορά mia forá, άπαξ ápax
Română	o dată
Русский	оди́н раз odín raz, одна́жды odnáždy
Tiếng Việt	một lần
العربية	مَرَّةً marratan, مَرَّةً وَاحِدَةً marratan wāḥidatan

adv formerly

Español	antiguamente, anteriormente, otrora, antaño, antes, en otro tiempo
日本語	以前 izen, かつて katsute, 一時期 ichijiki, 一時 ichiji
中文	曾經 /曾经 céngjīng, 以前 yǐqián, 有一次 yǒu yī cì
Português	outrora
Français	une fois, autrefois, jadis, un temps
Deutsch	früher
Italiano	un tempo, una volta
Ελληνικά	άλλοτε állote, παλιά paliá
Română	odată
Русский	когда́-то kogdá-to, ра́ньше ránʹše, ра́нее ráneje
Tiếng Việt	từng, đã từng
עברית	פַּעַם pá'am

conj as soon as

Español	tan pronto como, una vez que
中文	一旦 yīdàn
Português	assim que, logo após/depois, tão logo
Français	aussitôt que, dès que, une fois que
Deutsch	als, sobald
Italiano	una volta che, non appena
Ελληνικά	μόλις mólis
Română	odată ce
Русский	как то́лько kak tólʹko
Tiếng Việt	một khi
العربية	بِمُجَرَّد أَنّ bimujarrad ʔann

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Cite this

MLA

"once." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/once. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

once. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/once

Chicago

"once." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/once.

BibTeX

@misc{once_2026,
  title = {once},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/once},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}