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[ UK /ˈə‍ʊnli/ ]
[ US /ˈoʊnɫi/ ]
ADVERB
  1. except that
    It was the same story; only this time she came out better
  2. as recently as
    I spoke to him only an hour ago
  3. and nothing more
    it is simply a matter of time
    hopes that last but a moment
    I was merely asking
    just a scratch
    he was only a child
  4. never except when
    call me only if your cold gets worse
  5. without any others being included or involved
    the burden of proof rests on the prosecution alone
    he works for Mr. Smith exclusively
    a privilege granted only to him
    a school devoted entirely to the needs of problem children
    was entirely to blame
    did it solely for money
  6. with nevertheless the final result
    We won only to lose again in the next round
    He arrived only to find his wife dead
  7. in the final outcome
    These news will only make you more upset
ADJECTIVE
  1. exclusive of anyone or anything else
    I'll have this car and this car only
    she alone believed him
    cannot live by bread alone
  2. being the only one; single and isolated from others
    an only child
    the sole example
    a solitary speck in the sky
    a lonesome pine
    the lone doctor in the entire county
    a solitary instance of cowardice
    the sole heir

How To Use only In A Sentence

  • You think Spielberg would only have a rattletrap third-rate spaceship like the Millennium Falcon to ensure his survival? Does George Lucas think the world will end in 2012?
  • The only seriously bad bit is that you become less agile and less strong. Times, Sunday Times
  • Their dried dung is found everywhere, and is in many places the only fuel afforded by the plains; their skulls, which last longer than any other part of the animal, are among the most familiar of objects to the plainsman; their bones are in many districts so plentiful that it has become a regular industry, followed by hundreds of men (christened "bone hunters" by the frontiersmen), to go out with wagons and collect them in great numbers for the sake of the phosphates they yield; and Bad Lands, plateaus, and prairies alike, are cut up in all directions by the deep ruts which were formerly buffalo trails. VIII. The Lordly Buffalo
  • Chlorophyll is only one of several pigments found in plants, but it is by far the most important.
  • As a book about a nonoperational aircraft, Valkyrie will probably attract only a limited audience within the Air Force community.
  • One can only guess at the research and detective work that has gone into the bald details recorded for each piece.
  • Petanque may be the only sport inspired by a disability - that of Jules LeNoir, who in 1910 was a dedicated player of boules, a French game much like bocce ball.
  • Once you got into the stadium, there were no seats, only grassy banks.
  • The only people she would be able to talk to in English would be Ovidiu, and marginally to Rica with the broken language he was still trying to learn.
  • We cannot support all the shops we have already, so a few more very expensive units can only remain empty and unused.
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