From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishonceonce1 /wʌns/ ●●● S1 W1 adverb 1 ONCEon one occasion only I’ve only met her once. Paul’s been to Wexford once before.(just) the once British English spoken Mrs Peterson came in to see Ruth just the once.2 → once a week/once every three months etc3 PASTat some time in the past, but not now Sonya and Ida had once been close friends. She and her husband had once owned a house like this.once-great/proud etc It was sad to see the once-great man looking so frail. the once-mighty steel industry4 in the past, at a time that is not stated I once ran 21 miles. Marx once described religion as the ‘opium of the people’.5 → at once6 → once more/once again7 → all at once8 → (every) once in a while9 → never once/not once10 → (just) for once11 → once and for all12 → once or twice13 → (just) this once14 → once upon a time15 → once in a blue moon16 → do something once too often17 → once a ..., always a ...18 → once is/was enough19 → once bitten, twice shy
Examples from the Corpus
once• Some were hit more than once.• Here's a picture of a convertible we had once.• I've only worn this dress once.• The school funding proposed by Wilson this year is once again the minimum required by school funding.• In seventh grade, the problem increased once again, with nearly 22 percent of students identified as work-inhibited.• The invisible flutter and swoop of black creatures, still furious with the woman who had once banished them.• Nomatterhow he had changed - if indeed he had changed - that man had once been a sadistic brute.• She once called me a liar - I've never forgiven her.• It will be opened to the public in the next few years, once essential maintenance is completed.• I remember once it snowed on my birthday, and I was so excited.• You once let out the fact that you wished you were free of the burdens your family placed on you.• Brush tops with garlic oil and turn once more.• They had met once on holiday, so they knew each other slightly.• Once, when I was a little boy, I found a gold watch on the beach.(just) the once• I'd say go, even if it's only just the once.• Vauxhall, George Smith: an ornamental design echoing the wrought-iron work of the once famous Vauxhall Gardens.• And it was here that the once great motorbike manufacturers of the Midlands tested the machines that are still running today.• An example is the once highly popular low-carbohydrate method of slimming.• So what now for the once mighty Gingrich?• What had happened to the once mighty race which had built this superior piece of engineering?• Maybe, but the once pricey products that use this satellite technology have come down to earth.onceonce2 ●●● S1 W1 conjunction HAPPENfrom the time when something happens Once I get him a job, he’ll be fine. Once in bed, the children usually stay there.Examples from the Corpus
once• I called Lara once he'd left.• Once in the US, the drugs are distributed to all the major cities.Origin once1 (1200-1300) one 