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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Ye, the rapper and fashion mogul formerly known as Kanye West, ignited a firestorm of criticism over the weekend after posting a series of controversial messages on X (formerly Twitter).—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
5 May 2025
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The latest claim was leveled by Adam Schleifer, formerly an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, in a filing last week with the Merit Systems Protection Board, which handles wrongful termination appeals from federal workers.—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
3 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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Applicants must be 6 years or older as of the beginning of Oct. 4 to participate.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 May 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
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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So when Trump flatly, wrongly contradicts this undeniable reality, why are his erstwhile fact-checkers so uncharacteristically mum?—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
8 May 2025
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But in aggregate, the changes feel almost safe for streaming’s erstwhile great disruptor.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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My views are my own and do not neccessarily represent those of any past or current employer.—
Arthur L. Kellermann,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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With the series shifting to Madison Square Garden and the road team in a 2-0 hole, percentages from past NBA seven-game series gave the Celtics just a 14.3% chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
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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Explore Black Sabbath See latest videos, charts and news The band’s final performance will take place as part of the Back to the Beginning concert, which takes place in Birmingham, England on July 5.—
Tyler Jenke,
Billboard,
5 May 2025
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Forget the athletes or the movie stars, Bonobos has opted for a comedy duo for its latest ad campaign.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
5 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Once.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/once. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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