Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
adjective
- consisting of or involving direct individual competition, confrontation, or communication; person-to-person: a one-on-one discussion.
adverb
- in direct encounter: I’d rather settle this with her one-on-one.
noun
- a meeting or confrontation between two persons.
Idioms
- go one-on-one with, Sports. to play directly against (an opposing player).
adjective
- denoting a relationship or encounter in which someone is involved with only one other persona one-on-one meeting
A direct encounter between two persons, especially a conflict, as in The two department heads went one on one regarding shelf space. This slangy expression almost certainly comes from sports. It is commonly used to refer to a two-person basketball game, but is also applied to the interaction of two players on opposing teams in football, soccer, and similar team sports. [c. 1960]