only
adj prenominal
1 the. being single or very few in number
the only men left in town were too old to bear arms
2 (of a child) having no siblings
3 unique by virtue of being superior to anything else; peerless
a adj incomparable; unique
b as n the object of all one's love
you are my one and only
adv
5 without anyone or anything else being included; alone
you have one choice only, only a genius can do that
6 merely or just
it's only Henry
7 no more or no greater than
we met only an hour ago
8 (Irish) (intensifier)
she was only marvellous, it was only dreadful
9 used in conditional clauses introduced by if to emphasize the impossibility of the condition ever being fulfilled
if I had only known, this would never have happened
10 not earlier than; not...until
I only found out yesterday
11 ♦
if only or if...only an expression used to introduce a wish, esp. one felt to be unrealizable
12 ♦
only if never...except when
a (intensifier)
he was only too pleased to help
b most regrettably (esp. in the phrase only too true)
sentence connector
14 but; however: used to introduce an exception or condition
play outside: only don't go into the street
(Old English anlic, from an one + -lic -ly2)
In informal English, only is often used as a sentence connector: I would have phoned you, only I didn't know your number. This use should be avoided in formal writing: I would have phoned you if I'd known your number. In formal speech and writing, only is placed directly before the word or words that it modifies: she could interview only three applicants in the morning. In all but the most formal contexts, however, it is generally regarded as acceptable to put only before the verb: she could only interview three applicants in the morning. Care must be taken not to create ambiguity, esp. in written English, in which intonation will not, as it does in speech, help to show to which item in the sentence only applies. A sentence such as she only drinks tea in the afternoon is capable of two interpretations and is therefore better rephrased either as she drinks only tea in the afternoon (i.e. no other drink) or she drinks tea only in the afternoon (i.e. at no other time)
Diccionario Inglés definición
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"Collins English Dictionary 5th Edition first published in 2000 © HarperCollins Publishers 1979, 1986, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000 and Collins A-Z Thesaurus 1st edition first published in 1995 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995"