one-on-one
adjective or adverb
ˌwən-ȯn-ˈwən 
ˌwən-än-
1
: playing directly against a single opposing player
2
: involving a direct encounter between one person and another
Synonyms
Examples of one-on-one in a Sentence
bragged that no one could go one-on-one with her in a game of darts and win
Recent Examples on the Web
But the one-on-one scenes between characters were often just as powerful.
—
Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 1 July 2024
Citing data from the White House Transition Project, The Washington Post reported in April that Biden had done 118 one-on-one interviews with media as of April 30, compared to 97 for Trump at that point in his term and 71 for Obama.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 June 2024
In the 37th minute, the striker beat her defender one-on-one, but her shot sailed over the crossbar.
—Sapna Bansil, Washington Post, 30 June 2024
Havertz missed a glorious chance to double the lead shortly afterwards after being one-on-one with Schmeichel but wasn’t made to rue his mistake as Musiala found the back of the net minutes later.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 29 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for one-on-one 
Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 1 July 2024
Citing data from the White House Transition Project, The Washington Post reported in April that Biden had done 118 one-on-one interviews with media as of April 30, compared to 97 for Trump at that point in his term and 71 for Obama.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 June 2024
In the 37th minute, the striker beat her defender one-on-one, but her shot sailed over the crossbar.
—Sapna Bansil, Washington Post, 30 June 2024
Havertz missed a glorious chance to double the lead shortly afterwards after being one-on-one with Schmeichel but wasn’t made to rue his mistake as Musiala found the back of the net minutes later.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 29 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for one-on-one
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'one-on-one.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near one-on-one
Cite this Entry
“One-on-one.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-on-one. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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