Collins English-English Dictionary

only ['əυnlɪ]

1. 1. adj (of a child) having no siblings

2. 2. adj unique by virtue of being superior to anything else; peerless

3. 3. adv without anyone or anything else being included; alone

   you have one choice only

   only a genius can do that

4. 4. adv merely or just

   it's only Henry

5. 5. adv no more or no greater than

   we met only an hour ago

6. 6. adv [Irish] (intensifier)

   she was only marvellous

   it was only dreadful

7. 7. adv 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

8. 8. adv not earlier than; notuntil

   I only found out yesterday

9. 9. sentence connector but; however: used to introduce an exception or condition

   play outside: only don't go into the street

10. 10. sentence connector [Etymology] Old English anlic, from an one + -lic -ly²

11. 11. sentence connector [Usage] 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)