one

alternative obsolete wone · alternative 1 · alternative I

1. The number represented by the Arabic numeral 1; the numerical value equal to that cardinal number.

   One person, one vote.

   5 more examples

   In some religions, there is more than one god.

   In many cultures, a baby turns one year old a year after its birth.

   A ceremony at which two persons undertake to become one, one undertakes to become nothing, and nothing undertakes to become supportable.

   1911, Ambrose Bierce, “Wedding”, in The Devil’s Dictionary, New York, N.Y.; Washington, D.C.: The Neale Publishing Company, →OCLC

   Venters began to count them—one—two—three—four—on up to sixteen.

   1912 January, Zane Grey, chapter 8, in Riders of the Purple Sage […], New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC

   One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do / Two can be as bad as one / It's the loneliest number since the number one

   1968, Harry Nilsson, “One”, in Aerial Ballet

2. mathematicsThe first positive number in the set of natural numbers.
3. mathematicsThe cardinality of the smallest nonempty set.
4. mathematicsThe ordinality of an element which has no predecessor, usually called first or number one.

reflexive oneself · adjective possessive one's · plural ones · alternative obsolete wone · alternative 1 · alternative I

1. impersonalindefinitepronounOne thing (among a group of others); one member of a group.

   Any one of the boys.

   5 more examples

   Every one of the bank’s employees.

   A good driver is one who drives carefully.

   Can I borrow an eraser? — Sorry pal, I haven't got one.

   He's not one to pull his punches.

   She's never been one for the quick comeback.

2. impersonalpronounsometimeswith definite articleThe first mentioned of two things or people, as opposed to the other.

   I am one of the few women who've climbed Everest.

   2 more examples

   She offered him an apple and an orange; he took (the) one and left the other.

   Study gives strength to the mind; conversation, grace: the first apt to give stiffness, the other suppleness: one gives substance and form to the statue, the other polishes it.

   1699, William Temple, Heads designed for an essay on conversations

3. indefinitepersonalpronounAny person (applying to people in general).

   My neighbor talks to one like a teacher.

   5 more examples

   One’s guilt may trouble one, but it is best not to let oneself be troubled by things which cannot be changed.  One shouldn’t be too quick to judge.

   It was not far from the house; but the ground sank into a depression there, and the ridge of it behind shut out everything except just the roof of the tallest hayrick. As one sat on the sward behind the elm, with the back turned on the rick and nothing in front but the tall elms and the oaks in the other hedge, it was quite easy to fancy it the verge of the prairie with the backwoods close by.

   1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC

   She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace,[…]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid,[…] — all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.

   1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter II, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

   ‘It's rather like a beautiful Inverness cloak one has inherited. Much too good to hide away, so one wears it instead of an overcoat and pretends it's an amusing new fashion.’

   1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 5, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

   With fresh material, taxonomic conclusions are leavened by recognition that the material examined reflects the site it occupied; a herbarium packet gives one only a small fraction of the data desirable for sound conclusions. Herbarium material does not, indeed, allow one to extrapolate safely: what you see is what you get[…].

   1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page vii

   Synonyms: generic you

4. pronounAny person, entity or thing.

   "driver", noun: one who drives.

plural ones · alternative obsolete wone · alternative 1 · alternative I

1. The digit or figure 1.

   This effectively allows switching on and off of the flow of current, so it is either conducting or not conducting, creating the binary system of zeroes and ones used in digital computers.

   2024 January 4, Matthew Sparkes, “First working graphene semiconductor could lead to faster computers”, in New Scientist, archived from the original on 23 Feb 2024, retrieved 18 Jan 2024

2. Used to briefly refer to a noun phrase understood by context
   1. USby ellipsisA one-dollar bill.

      I need some ones to make change.

      Synonyms: single

   2. by ellipsisOne o'clock, either a.m. or p.m.

      The ophthalmic surgeon attends Tuesdays and Saturdays, at half-past one.

      1853 September 17, “Metropolitan Hospitals & Medical Schools”, in The Lancet, volume 62, number 1568, →DOI, page 268

      2 more examples

      It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.

      1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter 5, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume I, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC, page 97

      It was a weary time. A carriage clock had been placed on the discoloured wooden mantelpiece, and slowly its hands crept on from one to two and from two to three.

      1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “In which Three Investigators Come across a Dark Soul”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019

   3. by ellipsisball gamesOne run scored by hitting the ball and running between the wickets; a single.
   4. by ellipsisA joke or amusing anecdote.

      Did you hear the one about the agnostic dyslexic insomniac?

   5. by ellipsisA question.

      You already know, so you can answer that one yourselves

   6. by ellipsisAn alcoholic drink, especially a pint or can of beer.

      I had a quick one after work

      1 more example

      There’s nothing better than drinking a cold one when the weather’s boiling outside

   7. by ellipsisAn act of sexual intercourse.

      Just a quick one before work

3. A person or thing (having some specified characteristic or attribute).

   Now, he's a curious one.

   2 more examples

   Well, well, well, it seems the silent one does have a voice, after all.

   That's the one to watch if you want to win.

   Synonyms: sort, type

   1. A person with a tendency to do something.

      He's not one for pulling his punches.

      1 more example

      Pause. They look meaningly at one another. / "You are a one for being roundabout," says the lady.

      1905, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul, London: Macmillan and Co., Limited, page 55

      Synonyms: sort, type, [the] type

   2. archaicendearingironicfollowing an adjectiveA term of address.

      Hey, sleepy one.

      1 more example

      Oh, most merciful one!

      Synonyms: sort, type

4. colloquialA particularly special or compatible person or thing.

   That car's the one — I'll buy it.

   2 more examples

   I knew as soon I met him that John was the one for me and we were married within a month.

   When you love a woman then tell her / that she's really wanted / When you love a woman then tell her that she's the one / 'cause she needs somebody to tell her / that it's gonna last forever

   1995, Bryan Adams, Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?

5. datedderogatoryeuphemisticA gay person.

   Finally got Ollie Martin. He couldn't have more poise, and what do I care if he is one?

   1933 March 25, Dorothy Parker, “The Diary of a Lady”, in The New Yorker, page 13

6. mathematicsThe identity element with respect to multiplication in a ring.

   Synonyms: unity

7. InternetLeetdeliberatemisspellingsarcasticDeliberate misspelling of !, used to amplify an exclamation, parodying unskilled typists who forget to press the shift key while typing exclamation points, thus typing "1".

   A: SUM1 Hl3p ME im alwyz L0ziN!1!?1!

   Someone help me; I'm always losing!?

   4 more examples

   B: y d0nt u just g0 away l0zer!!1!!one!!one!!eleven!!1!

   Why don't you just go away loser!

   2003 September 26, "DEAL WITH IT!!!!11one!!", in alt.games.video.nintendo.gamecube, Usenet

   2004 November 9, "AWK sound recorder!!!11!!11one", in comp.lang.awk, Usenet

   2007 December 1, "STANFORD!!1!!1!one!11!!1oneone!1!1!", in rec.sport.football.college, Usenet

   Synonyms: 1, eleven

alternative obsolete wone · alternative 1 · alternative I

1. not comparableOf a period of time, being particular.

   One day the prince set forth to kill the dragon that had brought terror to his father’s kingdom for centuries.

   1 more example

   One morning I had been driven to the precarious refuge afforded by the steps of the inn, after rejecting offers from the Celebrity to join him in a variety of amusements. But even here I was not free from interruption, for he was seated on a horse-block below me, playing with a fox terrier.

   1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC

2. not comparableBeing a single, unspecified thing; a; any.

   My aunt used to say, "One day is just like the other."

3. not comparableSole, only.

   He is the one man who can help you.

   1 more example

   The one male audience member at the concert is invited on stage.

4. not comparableWhole, entire.

   Body and soul are not separate; they are one.

5. not comparableIn agreement.

   We are one on the importance of learning.

6. not comparableThe same.

   The two types look very different, but are one species.

alternative obsolete wone · alternative 1 · alternative I

1. A single.

   There was one box of biscuits available.

   Antonyms: zero, no, a few, a couple of, a handful of, several, multiple, various

2. Used for emphasis in place of a.
   1. Being a preeminent example.

      He is one hell of a guy.

   2. Being an unknown person with the specified name; see also "a certain".

      The town records from 1843 showed the overnight incarceration of one “A. Lincoln”.

present singular third person ones · participle present oning · participle past oned · past oned · alternative obsolete wone · alternative 1 · alternative I

1. transitiveTo cause to become one; to gather into a single whole; to unite.

   And both shall be oned in eternal happiness.

   2000, Carolyn Baker, The Journey of Forgiveness: Fulfilling the Healing Process, page 145

   3 more examples

   The question, of course, evokes discernment, not dogma, but we should note that the "unknowing" involves intellectual knowledge, whereas the problematic of being "oned" involves experiential knowledge.

   1994, Christopher Nugent, Mysticism, Death and Dying, page 55

   Knit and oned to God human beings are irrevocably in relationship with the divine.

   2003, Elizabeth MacKinlay, Mental Health and Spirituality in Later Life, page 83

   What might be if we were Oned? United, as we would say, but at a greater depth than being a season ticket holder in a football club, or a shareholder in some conglomerate.

   2019, David Grieve, Love in Thin Places: Confessions of a Cathedral Chaplain, page 43

alternative obsolete wone · alternative 1 · alternative I

1. ManglishSinglishUsed at the end of a sentence to highlight the characteristics of someone or something.

   Got almonds one.

   There are almonds in it.

   5 more examples

   How come so heavy one ah?

   Why is it so heavy?

   Can one, why cannot?

   Of course you can.

   Need to take train one.

   You can only get there by taking the train.

   'My boyfriends very possessive one. They don't allow me to wear clothes I want, do things I want,' she laments.

   2000 February 14, Patricia Mok, The Straits Times (Life! section), Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings, →OCLC, page 5

   Why so special one?

   2004, Ethical Egoist, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

2. ManglishSinglishUsed at the end of a sentence to highlight the originator of something.

   Who say one?

   Who said so?

   3 more examples

   My friend send one.

   It was sent by my friend.

   He ask one, not I ask one.

   It wasn’t me who asked, it was him.

   ooooooooooar! you own self admit one har! i never say one har!

   2011, Singrish King, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

3. ManglishSinglishUsed at the end of a sentence to highlight the likelihood of something occurring, as a characteristic of something else.

   Can easily get lost one, know?

   You can easily get lost here/there.

4. ManglishSinglishA nominalizer used to form a noun phrase without a head noun.

   The sell fruits one go home already.

   The fruit seller has gone home.

alternative obsolete wone · alternative 1 · alternative I

1. ManglishSinglishuncommonUsed as a relative pronoun at the end of a relative clause.

   The bird that make a lot of noise one is gone already.

1. honorificHonorific alternative letter-case form of one, sometimes used when referring to God or another important figure who is understood from context.

   I would encourage you to make your own investigation of the One who, as He died, prayed for those who killed Him

   2015, Gary Chapman, The 5 Love Languages, page 167

   2 more examples

   And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised.

   2003, John R. Kohlenberger III, The Evangelical Parallel New Testament, 1196

   Hopefully, after reading this chapter, this reflection upon Christianity versus skepticism will cause each of us to contemplate more critically upon the One who died for us so that we might live for Him.

   2009, Dallas R. Burdette, Biblical Preaching and Teaching, pages 128-129