adj · noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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CMU ARPABET:W AH2 N AO1 F
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Occurring once, independent of any pattern; one-time.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The government insisted that the embarrassing loss of the tax records was a one-off event.
Seeing Halley's Comet is a one-off, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: unique, singular
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Special; remarkable; rare; unusual.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: unique, singular
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Something that is done, created, etc. only once, and often quickly, simply, or improvisationally.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Commonwealth, idiomatic
Examples
Near-synonym: stand-alone
I'll put together a quick one-off as a sample so we can taste the recipe.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: stand-alone
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
Something unique and remarkable.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Near-synonym: stand-alone
It is a one-off; there is nothing else like it.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: stand-alone
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
a happening that occurs only once and is not repeated
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
From one + off. Probably from foundry work, for which making reusable molds is expensive and expediency makes the rule for molds not to be used only once. A term long used by artists who are printmakers and sculptors to indicate a unique print or casting. If using traditional edition numbering, a one-off would be a "1/1", which is said, "one of one" meaning the first print in an edition of one.
Across languages
Translations
49 source translations are retained for this English entry.
