at once
287
1.8
- idiom
- /ət wʌns/
:
a la vez
- All of life is at once biological and social.
- all at once
- happen all at once
- several at once
Do fewer things at once, right?
- Do fewer things at once, right?
- So it's, it's both of those things at once, the reward and the repetition.
- Guys, you can only play one game at once, right?
- It's about flooding all five of your senses at once with happiness.
- Do two things at once because you're a busy guy or girl.
- We have a nice way of summarizing all of that at once in a table.
- Well, to maximize the amount that I can see at once, right.
- When people try to take on too much improvement at once, they tend to get worse.
- OK, Yeah, maybe these lags can all come at once and we have to be very careful.
- It's because it's all of these things at once.
- So most have to balance multiple things at once like I did.
Examples
-
Can I do three things at once and get that going?
-
We can't have everybody talking at once.
-
We're going to do both at once, both of them.
-
Guys, you can only play one game at once, right?
-
And like it's all the relationships at once that have to work.
-
Well, great things happen all at once.
-
We tell everybody at once!
-
Rather, all human efforts to develop culture are at once both spiritual and natural.
Academic text (2008) -
I have never felt that many emotions at once prior to finding out.
-
If everyone speaks at once, it becomes very disorderly.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
During the same time or moment
768
1.0
Together in a single group
511
1.0
At the same time as someone or something else
330
1.0
Right away without any delay
209
4.2
At the same time
43
2.1
Happening at the same time
32
2.5
Happening at the same time
14
5.8
Happening at the same time as something else
4
3.4
All at once without stopping
2
8.4
At the same time or during the same period
1
4.7
All done at the same time with one action
Happening at the same time as other things
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
at + once
The meaning 'immediately' is directly derivable from combining 'at' (a temporal/location marker) with 'once' used in the sense 'as soon as' or 'immediately after'; together they form a standard temporal composition in English. This construction mirrors common time-expression patterns in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
At once comes from the idea of many actions happening at once — in one single moment. Imagine a crowd starting to clap 'as one' at the same time; that's why it means 'at the same time'.