If you say that someone or something is the one person or thing of a particular kind, you are emphasizing that they are the only person or thing of that kind.
[emphasis]
They had alienated the one man who knew the business.
His one regret is that he has never learned a language.
3. determiner
One can be used instead of 'a' to emphasize the following noun.
[emphasis]
There is one thing I would like to know–What is it about Tim that you find so irresistible?
One person I hate is Russ.
4. determiner
You can use one instead of 'a' to emphasize the following adjective or expression.
[informal, emphasis]
If we ever get married we'll have one terrific wedding.
It's like one enormous street carnival here.
5. determiner [DET n-proper]
You can use one in front of someone's name to indicate that you have not met them or heard of them before.
[formal]
It seems that the fifth man is one John Cairncross.
6. determiner
You can use one to refer to the first of two or more things that you are comparing.
Prices vary from one shop to another.
The road hugs the coast for hundreds of miles, the South China Sea on one side, jungleon the other.
One is also an adjective.
We ask why peace should have an apparent chance in the one territory and not theother.
One is also a pronoun.
The twins were dressed differently and one was thinner than the other.
7. pronoun
You can use one or ones instead of a noun when it is clear what type of thing or person you are referring to and you are describing them or giving more information about them.
They are selling their house to move to a smaller one.
We test each one to see that it flies well.
8. pronoun
You use ones to refer to people in general.
We are the only ones who know.
9. pronoun
You can use one instead of a noun group when you have just mentioned something and you want to describe it or give more information about it.
His response is one of anger and frustration.
The issue of land reform was one that dominated parliamentary elections.
10. determiner
You can use one when you have been talking or writing about a group of people or things and you want to say something about a particularmember of the group.
'A college degree isn't enough,' said one honors student.
One is also a pronoun.
Some of them couldn't eat a thing. One couldn't even drink.
11. quantifier
You use one in expressions such as 'one of the biggest airports' or 'one of the most experienced players' to indicate that something or someone is bigger or more experienced than most otherthings or people of the same kind.
Subaru is one of the smallest Japanese car makers.
12. determiner
You can use one when referring to a time in the past or in the future. For example, if you say that you did something one day, you mean that you did it on a day in the past.
How would you like to have dinner one night, just you and me?
Then one evening Harry phoned, asking me to come to their flat as soon as possible.
13. one day
14. pronoun [with supplement]
You can use one to refer to a question, joke, remark, or subject of discussion.
This is a tricky one to answer.
Have you heard the one about the Irishman, the Englishman and the American?
I told him I'd have to think about that one.
15. pronoun
You can use one to refer to an alcoholic drink.
[informal]
Other members of the committee drifted in for a quick one before closing time
16. pronoun
You use one to make statements about people in general which also apply to themselves. One can be used as the subject or object of a sentence.
[formal]
If one looks at the longer run, a lot of positive things are happening.
Where does one go from there?
Shares and bonds can bring one quite a considerable additional income.
17.
See as one
18.
See be one for/be a one for
19.
See for one
20.
See a hundred and one/a million and one
21.
See in one
22.
See in ones and twos
23.
See one after the other/one after another
24.
See the one and only
25.
See one by one
26.
See one or other
27.
See one or two
28.
See not one to do sth
29.
See be one up on sb
30. one and all
31. one another
32. one thing after another
33. to pull a fast one
34. of one mind
35. in one piece
36. put one over on
More Synonyms of one
English Easy Learning GrammarReflexive pronounsReflexive pronouns are used: person singular plural 1st2nd3rd masculine3rd feminine3rd neuterGeneral myselfyourselfhimselfherselfitselfoneselfourselvesyourselvesthemselvesthemselvesthemselves ... Read more
one in British English
(wʌn)
determiner
1.
a.
single; lone; not two or more
one car
b.
(as pronoun)
one is enough for now
one at a time
c.
(in combination)
one-eyed
one-legged
2.
a.
distinct from all others; only; unique
one girl in a million
b.
(as pronoun)
one of a kind
3.
a.
a specified (person, item, etc) as distinct from another or others of its kind
raise one hand and then the other
b.
(as pronoun)
which one is correct?
4.
a certain, indefinite, or unspecified (time); some
one day you'll be sorry
5. informal an emphatic word for a1, an1
it was one hell of a fight
6.
a certain (person)
one Miss Jones was named
7. in one
8. all one
9. at one
10. be made one
11. many a one
12. neither one thing nor the other
13. never a one
14. one and all
15. one by one
16. one or two
17. one way and another
18. off on one
19. one with another
pronoun
20.
an indefinite person regarded as typical of every person
one can't say any more than that
21.
any indefinite person: used as the subject of a sentence to form an alternative grammatical construction to that of the passive voice
one can catch fine trout in this stream
22. archaic
an unspecified person
one came to him
noun
23.
the smallest whole number and the first cardinal number; unity
See also number (sense 1)
24.
a numeral (1, I, i, etc) representing this number
25. informal
a joke or story (esp in the one about)
26. music
the numeral 1 used as the lower figure in a time signature to indicate that the beat is measured in semibreves
27.
something representing, represented by, or consisting of one unit
28. Also called: one o'clock
one hour after noon or midnight
29.
a blow or setback (esp in the phrase one in the eye for)
30. the one
31. the Holy One
32. the Evil One
▶ Related prefixes: , ▶ Related adjective: mono-, uni-, single
Word origin
Old English ān, related to Old French ān, ēn, Old High German ein, Old Norse einn, Latin unus, Greek oinē ace
-one in British English
suffix forming nouns
indicating that a chemical compound is a ketone
acetone
Word origin
arbitrarily from Greek -ōnē, feminine patronymic suffix, but perhaps influenced by -one in ozone
one in American English
(wʌn)
adjective
1.
being a single thing or unit; not two or more
2.
characterized by unity; forming a whole; united; undivided
with one accord
3.
designating a person or thing as contrasted with or opposed to another or others
from one day to another
4.
being uniquely or strikingly the person or thing specified
the one solution to the problem
5.
single in kind; the same
all of one mind
6.
designating a single, but not clearly specified, person or thing; a certain [one day last week]
also used as an intensive substitute for the indefinite article [she's one beautiful girl]
noun
7.
the number expressing unity or designating a single unit: the lowest cardinal number and the first usedin counting a series; 1; I
8.
a single person or thing
9.
something numbered one or marked with one pip, as the face of a die or domino
10. US, Informal
a one-dollar bill
pronoun
11.
some, or a certain, person or thing
one of us must go
12.
any person or thing; anybody or anything [when one is exhausted, it is wise to rest]
sometimes used affectedly in place of a personal pronoun in the first or second person
what else could one do?
13.
the person or thing previously mentioned
they rent a house, but I own one
Idioms:
all one
at one
one and all
one another
one by one
one of those things
Word origin
ME < OE an, akin to Ger ein, Goth ains < IE *oinos (> Gr oinē, L unus, OIr ōen) < *e-, *ei-, prefixed pronominal stem meaning “the, this, this one”
-one in American English
(oʊn)
Chemistry
1.
ketone
acetone
2.
any of certain related compounds containing oxygen
lactone
Word origin
arbitrary use of Gr -ōnē, used to signify a female descendant of
Examples of 'one' in a sentence
one
We really love one another and the worry is making her ill.
The Sun (2017)
To trick people into voting one way or another is a kind of theft.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
My number one tipple over the holidays is mulled wine.
The Sun (2016)
It was something one should not have said.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
There are lots of very different ones.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This puts us in a peer group of one.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
They had at least one thing in common.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
This is hard work, playing three games in one day is tough.
The Sun (2016)
That means he was given top grades in both subjects at one of the world's most famous seats of learning.
The Sun (2016)
Keep time to lavish on loved ones.
The Sun (2015)
They are probably not the ones people want to see.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
It spent four weeks at number one.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
They dig for two days and one night without stopping.
Francis Pryor BRITAIN BC: Life In Britain and Ireland before the Romans (2003)
Say the number one in your mind.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
You throw something one way and you are pushed the other way.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The referendum is the one subject about which he is deadly serious.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We used one of the conference rooms and my husband accompanied me.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
One is enthusiasm and the other is commitment to the aims of the group.
Wallace, Louise M & Bundy, Christine Coping with Angina (1990)
Two sets of benefits will be paid for one person out of work.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The winner is one of those three.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Turkey and crackling is a new one on me.
The Sun (2010)
This indicator leads the business cycle by one year.
Pass, Christopher, Lowes, Bryan Collins Dictionary of Economics (1993)
The nature of it was very different to this one.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It may only have been the observations of one particular game but it set me wondering.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The chance to work on one is the kind of offer that a writer cannot refuse.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This looks like one arm of a moat around a medieval house on the site.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
She only has the one car at the moment.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In other languages
one
British English: one /wʌn/ NUMBER
One is the number 1.
American English: one
Arabic: وَاحِدٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: um
Chinese: 一
Croatian: jedan
Czech: jedna
Danish: en
Dutch: een
European Spanish: uno
Finnish: yksi
French: un
German: eins
Greek: ένα
Italian: uno
Japanese: 一
Korean: 1
Norwegian: en
Polish: jeden
European Portuguese: um
Romanian: unu
Russian: один
Latin American Spanish: uno
Swedish: en siffra
Thai: หนึ่ง
Turkish: bir
Ukrainian: один
Vietnamese: một
British English: one /wʌn/ PRONOUN
You can use one to refer to the first of two or more things.
One of the twins was thinner than the other.
American English: one
Arabic: وَاحِدٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: um
Chinese: 一个人
Croatian: jedan
Czech: jeden
Danish: en
Dutch: een
European Spanish: uno
Finnish: yksi
French: un
German: einer
Greek: ένας
Italian: uno
Japanese: 一つ
Korean: 하나
Norwegian: man
Polish: jeden
European Portuguese: um
Romanian: unul
Russian: первый
Latin American Spanish: uno
Swedish: man en annan
Thai: คนหรือสิ่งหนึ่ง
Turkish: birisi
Ukrainian: один
Vietnamese: một
Chinese translation of 'one'
one
(wʌn)
adj
(number) 一 (yī)
he's one year old他1岁(歲) (tā yī suì)
it's one o'clock现(現)在1点(點) (xiànzài yī diǎn)
one hundred/thousand children100/1000个(個)孩子 (yībǎi/yīqiān gè háizi)
one hundred and fifty150 (yībǎi wǔ)
we'll go there one day总(總)有一天我们(們)会(會)去那儿(兒)的 (zǒng yǒu yī tiān wǒmen huì qù nàr de)
there will be one or two changes会(會)有一两(兩)个(個)改动(動) (huì yǒu yī liǎng gè gǎidòng)
one thing I don't understand is why ... 我不明白的一件事是为(為)什么(麼) ... (wǒ bù míngbai de yī jiàn shì shì wèishénme ... )
(= sole) 唯一的 (wéiyī de)
my one hope is that ... 我唯一的希望是 ... (wǒ wéiyī de xīwàng shì ... )
(instead of "a") 一个(個) (yī gè)
(= same) 同一的 (tóngyī de)
shall I put it all on the one plate?要我把它都放在同一个(個)盘(盤)子里(裡)吗(嗎)？ (yào wǒ bǎ tā dōu fàng zài tóng yī gè pánzi li ma?)