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
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Recent Examples of once
Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2025
And, as the FTC has just warned once again, any unpaid toll bill text is almost certainly a scam.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Demetrius Patterson, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
As the once leader of the industry, its woes rippled backward through the supply chain and forward into the airline industry which desperately needed new aircraft to meet the rising demand for post-pandemic travel.
—Jerrold Lundquist, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for once
Adverb
But once again, Wyatt was saved, this time by Ballerini.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2025
And, as the FTC has just warned once again, any unpaid toll bill text is almost certainly a scam.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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
As the once leader of the industry, its woes rippled backward through the supply chain and forward into the airline industry which desperately needed new aircraft to meet the rising demand for post-pandemic travel.
—Jerrold Lundquist, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for once
Recent Examples of Synonyms for once
Adverb
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Back in 2018, when Versace was bought by Capri (formerly Michael Kors) from the Versace family and Blackstone, Capri splashed out $2.2 billion including debt.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
10 Apr. 2025
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The situation stems from the Indian Trail Weasel Report account, formerly the campaign Facebook page for Council member Todd Barber.—
Mary Ramsey,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Under former President Joe Biden, monthly student loan bills resumed in the fall of 2023 after a years-long break.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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In the past week, one of the most contentious issues to emerge has been the future of a former elementary school housing the pre-kindergarten programs for about 340 youngsters.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In contrast, older generations started saving much later, with boomers beginning at an average age of 37 and with plans to retire at 72.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2025
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Not content just to confirm its arrival, Veach deftly sliced a slit in the plastic to minimize any potential forensic trail, removed the new game and swapped in the old version before carefully rewrapping it.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The trip to Brentford is little more than a lower mid-table meeting, but United’s other three engagements could have more riding on them.—
Mark Critchley,
New York Times,
19 Apr. 2025
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The president and his administration accuse Harvard, among other universities, of allowing antisemitism to flourish on campus, endangering Jewish students.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Earlier this year, there was a small bit of consternation in the Death Grips fan community due to an apparent private comment from erstwhile band member Andy Morin that was leaked publicly.—
Matthew Strauss,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2025
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Bloomberg/Via Getty Images President Trump's announcements on tariffs have dismayed many of his erstwhile supporters on Wall Street.—
Steve Inskeep,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Her personalized pair featured tons of colorful gemstones inspired by Ballerini's past musical eras as well as song titles from Patterns and Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (For Good) .—
Michelle Lee,
People.com,
17 Apr. 2025
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In a break from past practice, the government appears to be revoking student visas directly, without warning or due process, attorneys say.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Kennedy’s close friend and sometime co-counsel Michael Tigar wrote in his own biography that Timothy later pointed a finger at Kennedy, calling him the mastermind, in order to seek revenge after their future falling-out.—
Susannah Cahalan,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2025
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They were taken away and brought back a week later with broken arms and legs, sometime heads.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But the prolific writer-director’s latest provides an illustration of how the genre became somewhat fossilized via formulaic writing and overexposure even before 1950s television began churning out Western content in bulk.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2025
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One giant got distracted by a wandering minstrel One giant overslept and started late Clues: Brumm is not the fastest builder but didn’t oversleep.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Once.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/once. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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