Meaning & use
online-only
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Available or happening only on the internet, not in physical places.
Grammar: Comes before the noun it describes: an online-only course. It is not used after a verb in this form; say The course is online only instead.
Patterns
- an online-only event
- an online-only store
- online-only banking
The museum is holding an online-only exhibition this summer.
Because of the storm, the concert became an online-only show.
Many small shops now run online-only businesses to save on rent.
adjectivebefore a nounbusiness
Existing or operating solely on the internet, without physical branches or offices.
Grammar: Used especially for companies and services: an online-only bank has no buildings you can visit.
Patterns
- an online-only bank
- an online-only retailer
- an online-only service
She switched to an online-only bank because it charges no fees.
The online-only retailer delivers within two days.
As an online-only service, it has no phone support.
Common combinations
- online-only event
- The conference will be an online-only event due to travel restrictions.
- online-only store
- He runs an online-only store selling handmade candles.
- online-only course
- The university offers an online-only course in data science.
- go online-only
- The newspaper decided to go online-only and stop printing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- internet-only
- Very similar, but slightly more technical and less common in everyday speech.
- virtual
- Focuses on being done through computers rather than in person; an online-only event is always virtual, but a virtual event might still have a small physical audience.
Opposites
Word family
- online adjective
- Connected to or available through the internet.
Commonly confused: online-only or on-line?
online-only vs on-line
An old-fashioned spelling with a hyphen that is now rarely used; modern English writes online as one word.
Practice
The festival will be an ______ event this year, so you can watch it from home.
Choose one answer.
Before a noun, the compound adjective needs a hyphen: an online-only event. 'Online only' is used after a verb (The event is online only). 'Only online' changes the meaning to 'only on the internet, not elsewhere'. 'Online-only event' repeats the noun and does not fit the blank.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “online-only”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.