1
: that moves in or allows movement in only one direction
a one-way street
2
: one-sided, unilateral
a one-way conversation
3
: that functions in only one of two or more ways

Examples of one-way in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web With these street closures, the Current encourages people walking from the River Market area to utilize the Riverfront Heritage Trail starting at Second and Main, which is roughly a mile-and-a-half one-way. Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2024 Travelers will have to pay the taxes and fees on the flight, which comes at a minimal cost for domestic travel at just $5.60 one-way. Stella Shon, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2024 That question is a one-way ticket down a rabbit hole of potential outcomes. Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 4 Mar. 2024 The cold and impersonal layoffs, often made via email or one-way videos, have led to the erosion of employee happiness and job satisfaction. Jack Kelly, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 During four one-way and roundtrip journeys in June and July, passengers will sleep aboard the train's historic Pullman Sleeping Cars, indulge in multi-course meals cooked on-board by a private chef, and enjoy the open bar service available throughout the trip. Hannah Towey, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2024 Critical junctures in a lineage act like one-way doors, opening up some possibilities while closing off other options for good. Quanta Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 Advocates say museums can be more than one-way encounters with art. Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Feb. 2024 The targets included underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one-way attack unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter, said DoD spokesperson U.S. Army Major Pete Nguyen. Louis Casiano, Fox News, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'one-way.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of one-way was in 1824

Cite this Entry

“One-way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-way. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

one-way

adjective
1
: moving or allowing movement in one direction only
2

More from Merriam-Webster on one-way

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