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
Chantelle Lee, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
If your once-vigorous plant is starting to look sickly, spider mites may be the culprits.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2025
Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2025
The price target increases come as industry giant BYD last week announced ultra-fast charging technology, on top of its launch in February of driver-assist systems for a range of its cars — signaling the once niche feature is going mainstream.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for once
Adverb
By law, federal employees are guaranteed back pay once a government shutdown ends, but the bill was intended to provide pay for those working in the interim.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
If your once-vigorous plant is starting to look sickly, spider mites may be the culprits.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
You might be left with tiny scratches that make your once pristine appliances and surfaces look less than stellar.
—Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2025
The price target increases come as industry giant BYD last week announced ultra-fast charging technology, on top of its launch in February of driver-assist systems for a range of its cars — signaling the once niche feature is going mainstream.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for once
Recent Examples of Synonyms for once
Adverb
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The formerly seven-member CMC headed by Xi has lost three members since 2023 in a string of anti-corruption purges.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
23 Oct. 2025
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The latter, the socialite says in the clip, may be caused by her stress amid the aftermath of her divorce from the rapper formerly known as Kanye West.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Since the city does not own the adjacent former Staples building, which Spirit Halloween is leasing, there are no plans for that building to be part of the redevelopment, said Middletown Vice Mayor Steve West.—
Victoria Moorwood,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
23 Oct. 2025
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After years of a 4-4-2 being the prevailing setup across Europe in the 1990s, former Manchester City assistant manager Juanma Lillo was an early exponent of the 4-2-3-1 system in the early 2000s during his time in Spain.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The residency blues In politics, fighting over where candidates live is a tale as old as time.—
Hayleigh Colombo,
IndyStar,
24 Oct. 2025
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Lutnick handed the reins of the company to his 27-year-old son, and his other son also works at Cantor.—
Melanie Hicken,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This belies the question of whether those who are looking to deliver punishment are acting in good faith, a concern that became part of the appeals court decision in the El Salvador case and has subsequently been raised in other courtrooms as well.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Oct. 2025
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Apart from the free transfer of Canadian striker David, Juventus’ other recruits joined late window.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Rounding out the character lineup is Frau von Luber, an erstwhile aristocrat who’s reduced to being the housekeeper in newly wealthy Olim’s castle—which used to belong to her.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
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The erstwhile president and his entourage got on a jet that flew them to Hmeimim, a coastal air base controlled by Russia, which had been his most critical backer in the war.—
Danny Makki,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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These past two days have reinforced for me the importance of codifying principles and creating a road map to achieve them.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
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While Crunchyroll was already doing fine before it was acquired by Sony, pairing it with Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group these past few years has given these films a bit more worldwide marketing and distribution reach to make those hits more consistent.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Donald had a new lady called Marla Maples, who was a sometime actress, putting it delicately.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
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They were not allowed to stay in private homes — annoying for sometime Paris resident Serena Williams — but could eat out at Paris restaurants.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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His latest film is the drama Sentimental Value, about a father attempting to reconnect with his daughters, which Skarsgård starred in and executive produced.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 2025
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United’s midfielders, namely Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, need to be switched on to the kind of late runs into the box that Phil Foden produced for Manchester City at the Etihad last month.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Once.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/once. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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