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in one sitting

in one sitting

10 3.2
To finish something all at once without taking a break
  • idiom
translation icon : de una sola vez
  • Although it is possible to conduct this assessment in one sitting, the student may get fatigued and stop engaging.
  • drinks in one sitting
  • more drinks in one sitting

I read it in one sitting and it went by like that.

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Examples

  • Seriously, if I had my way, I could eat 40+ of these things in one sitting.

    Blog text (22)
  • I used to eat about half a box of the Quaker granola in one sitting!

    Blog text (18)
  • I read it in one sitting and it went by like that.

  • I, um-- I finished it in one sitting.

  • I mean, I showed you everything I could show you in one sitting.

  • Just in case you want to eat all of it in one sitting.

  • It's like I need to do them all in one sitting or I lose my place.

    Blog text (28)
  • We normally read a stack of about 6 or 7 books in one sitting.

    Blog text (14)
  • Each participant took the test under all three conditions in one sitting.

    Academic text (2015)
  • I read the entire book in one sitting and it went by like that.

Synonyms

all at once
vsin one sitting
43 2.1

Happening at the same time

emphasizes finishing in one continuous period rather than simultaneous occurrence
in one go
vsin one sitting
4 3.4

All at once without stopping

emphasizes finishing a whole activity in one continuous period
single sitting
vsin one sitting
1 3.4

An uninterrupted time spent doing something like reading or eating

is the same meaning but used as a noun phrase not a time phrase
uninterruptedly
vsin one sitting
1 6.3

Without any pause or stop

is about finishing an activity in one session rather than describing the manner
at one stroke
vsin one sitting
1 4.7

All done at the same time with one action

refers instead to completing an activity over time without breaks

How Continuous

in one sitting
10 3.2
in one go
4 3.4

Surface Forms

in one sitting positive

Morphology

in + one + sitting

The phrase literally composes 'in' (within), 'one' (a single), and 'sitting' (a period of being seated), so a learner who knows the constituents can infer an activity done within a single sitting — i.e. at one time without breaks. This compositional pattern (doing something in a single session) is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner would readily understand it.

Etymology

In one sitting gives the simple image of staying in one seat and sitting until the task is finished, without getting up. That's why it means 'finished at once' or 'without stopping'.