one

onepronoun

One as a pronoun stands for a noun already mentioned, for people in general, or for a person of a particular kind.

1. instead of a nounused in place of a noun that has just been mentioned, for a person or thing of the same kind

   One takes the place of a countable noun: I need a pen; do you have one? It has a plural, ones, and follows an adjective, this, that, which, or the: a big one, the ones on the shelf, which one? For the particular thing itself, use it: I lost my pen; have you seen it?

   • I lost my umbrella, so I bought a new one.
   • Which one do you want, the red one or the blue one?
   • These shoes are too small; do you have bigger ones?
   • Sam is the one who called earlier.

   Collocations

   phrase which one, this one, that one, the other one, a new one, the one who

   Compare it (it stands for the particular thing itself; one stands for any thing of the same kind)

2. people in generalany person; people in general, including the speaker

   One is formal and sounds distant; in speech, people say you instead: you never know. The possessive is one's and the reflexive is oneself: one does one's best.

   formal

   • One should always be polite to guests.
   • One never knows what will happen.
   • It is hard to know what one can do to help.

   Synonyms you

   Compare you (you is the usual word in speech for people in general)

3. a persona person of the kind described, especially in a few fixed uses

   • The little ones are already in bed.
   • Sam is a quiet one.
   • Take care of your loved ones.

   Collocations

   phrase the little ones, loved ones, the young ones, a clever one

See also one (the numeral one, from which this pronoun's uses developed)

onenumber

1. the numberthe number 1, used to count a single person or thing

   • I have one brother and two sisters.
   • Turn to page one.
   • There is only one seat left.
   • One of the windows is open. (one of plus a plural noun takes a singular verb)

   Collocations

   phrase one of the, one more, one hundred, one at a time, only one

   Compare a (a is the normal word for a single thing; one stresses the number: I have a car, but I have one car, not two)

   1. aused for one of two or more people or things that are being compared with each other

      • One twin is tall and the other is short.
      • The store has two doors: one at the front and one at the back.

   2. bused before day, morning, evening, or a similar word for a time in the past or future that is not named

      • One day I will visit her.
      • One morning the phone rang very early.
      • We should have lunch together one of these days.

See also one (the pronoun uses: standing for a noun, for people in general, or for a particular kind of person)