English Lexicon

One-liner

/ˈwʌnˌlaɪ.nɚ/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #8500 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A quick joke or witty remark delivered in a single sentence.

    "The comedian opened his stand-up routine with a clever one-liner that instantly hooked the audience."
  2. 2

    A brief statement or a single line of computer code that performs a specific task.

    "She wrote an elegant one-liner in Python to process the entire data file."

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Synonyms (3)
Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the combination of the numeral 'one' (from Old English 'ān') and 'line' (from Old English 'līne', via Latin 'linea'). The term emerged in theatrical and journalistic contexts during the mid-20th century to describe a single line of text, dialogue, or a brief joke that packs a punch.

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