one

one / wən/ • cardinal number the lowest cardinal number; half of two; 1: there's only room for one person two could live as cheaply as one one hundred miles World War One a one-bedroom apartment. (Roman numeral: i, I) ∎  a single person or thing, viewed as taking the place of a group: they would straggle home in ones and twos. ∎  single; just one as opposed to any more or to none at all (used for emphasis): her one concern is to save her daughter. ∎  denoting a particular item of a pair or number of items: electronics is one of his hobbies he put one hand over her shoulder and one around her waist a glass tube closed at one end. ∎  denoting a particular but unspecified occasion or period: one afternoon in late October. ∎  used before a name to denote a person who is not familiar or has not been previously mentioned; a certain: he worked as a clerk for one Mr. Ming. ∎ inf. a noteworthy example of (used for emphasis): the actor was one smart-mouthed troublemaker he was one hell of a snappy dresser. ∎  identical; the same: all types of training meet one common standard. ∎  identical and united; forming a unity: the two things are one and the same. ∎  one year old. ∎  one o'clock: it's half past one I'll be there at one. ∎ inf. a one-dollar bill. ∎ inf. an alcoholic drink: a cool one after a day on the water. ∎ inf. a joke or story: the one about the chicken farmer and the spaceship. ∎  a size of garment or other merchandise denoted by one. ∎  a domino or dice with one spot. • pron. 1. referring to a person or thing previously mentioned: her mood changed from one of moroseness to one of joy her best apron, the white one. ∎  used as the object of a verb or preposition to refer to any example of a noun previously mentioned or easily identified: they had to buy their own copies rather than waiting to borrow one do you want one? 2. a person of a specified kind: you're the one who ruined her life Eleanor was never one to be trifled with my friends and loved ones. ∎  a person who is remarkable or extraordinary in some way: you never saw such a one for figures. 3. [third person sing.] used to refer to any person as representing people in general: one must admire him for his willingness. ∎  referring to the speaker as representing people in general: one gets the impression that he is ahead. PHRASES: at one in agreement or harmony: they were completely at one with their environment. for one used to stress that the person named holds the specified view, even if no one else does: I for one am getting a little sick of writing about it. one after another (or the other) following one another in quick succession: one after another the buses drew up. one and all everyone: well done one and all! one and only unique; single (used for emphasis or as a designation of a celebrity): the title of his one and only book the one and only Muhammad Ali. one by one separately and in succession; singly. one day at a particular but unspecified time in the past or future: one day a boy started teasing Grady he would one day be a great president. one-for-one denoting or referring to a situation or arrangement in which one thing corresponds to or is exchanged for another: donations would be matched on a one-for-one basis with public revenues. one of a kind see kind¹ . one-on-one (or one-to-one) denoting or referring to a situation in which two parties come into direct contact, opposition, or correspondence: maybe we should talk to them one-on-one. one or another (or the other) denoting or referring to a particular but unspecified one out of a set of items: not all instances fall neatly into one or another of these categories. one or two inf. a few: there are one or two signs worth watching for. one thing and another inf. used to cover various unspecified matters, events, or tasks: what with one thing and another she hadn't had much sleep recently.