one-way

adjective

ˈwən-ˈwā How to pronounce one-way (audio)
Synonyms of one-waynext
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
After 49 years in America, Park packed his life into two suitcases and a golf bag and boarded a one-way flight to South Korea, leaving behind his two children, a son, 29, and a daughter, 25. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026 Splash Industries’ new Airstrike Pack transforms the high-speed Typhoon USV into a mobile platform capable of deploying one-way attack drones. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026 Board member Jeremy Katz echoed the concerns and said the town could consider making one of the Sunridge Place streets one-way. — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2026 Guthrie wrote the weeper in 1948 to commemorate a plane crash in California’s Central Valley that killed all 32 on board, including 28 Mexican nationals with a one-way ticket back home. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for one-way

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

Rhymes for one-way

See All Rhymes for one-way

Browse Nearby Words

on everyone's/everybody's lips
one-way
one-way mirror
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“One-way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-way. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

one-way

adjective
1
: moving or allowing movement in one direction only
2
: one-sided sense 1b

More from Merriam-Webster on one-way

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