consisting of or involving direct individual competition, confrontation, or communication; person-to-person:
a one-on-one discussion.
adverb
2.
in direct encounter:
I'd rather settle this with her one-on-one.
noun
3.
a meeting or confrontation between two persons.
Idioms
4.
go one-on-one with, Sports. to play directly against (an opposing player).
Origin
1965-70, Americanism
British Dictionary definitions for one on one
one-on-one
adjective
1.
denoting a relationship or encounter in which someone is involved with only one other person: a one-on-one meeting
Slang definitions & phrases for one on one
one on one
adverb phrase
In immediate confrontation; person to person; eyeball to eyeball, mano a mano: I go on the basketball court and have a 15-year-old guy beat me one on one/ John Rhodes was very effective, one-on-one(1967+)
noun phrase
: have a one-on-one with him
Idioms and Phrases with one on one
one on one
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 ]