the one and only

noun

—used before the name of a famous person to say that there is no one else like that person
the one and only Elvis Presley

Examples of the one and only 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.
In other words, Dart is the one and only player who needs to be protected at all costs. — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2026 To judge a work of fiction as a finite, single purpose structure would be the one and only grievous error. — Literary Hub, 26 June 2026 Celebrating the one and only Marty Short 🧡. — Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026 His wife, the one and only Elizabeth Taylor—whom Swift named a song after—was in attendance and cut a 14-foot-high cake during the soirée. — Michael Gioia, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for the one and only

Rhymes for the one and only

See All Rhymes for the one and only

Browse Nearby Words

the one about
the one and only
the only game in town
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“The one and only.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20one%20and%20only. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tacit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All