Definition of ONCE

once

Meanings

Plural: onces

Adverb

  • on one occasion
    • "once I ran into her"
  • as soon as
    • "once we are home, we can rest"
  • at a previous time
    • "she was a dancer once"

Adv

  • One and only one time.
  • Formerly; during some period in the past.
  • At any time; ever.
  • One day, someday.
  • Multiplied by one: indicating that a number is multiplied by one.

Conj

  • As soon as; when; after.

Noun

  • Obsolete form of ounce.

Origin / Etymology

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. Compare Old Saxon ēnes (“once”), Old High German eines, einēst (“once”), modern German einst (“once”). More at one (including regarding the development of the pronunciation) and -s.

Synonyms

at one time, erst, erstwhile, formerly, in one case, once, oncet, one time, wunst, yance

Antonyms

four times, often, thrice, twice

Scrabble Score: 6

once is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
once is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
once is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 8

once is a valid Words With Friends word