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only just
/ˈoʊnli dʒʌst/
almost not
I only just caught the bus before it left.
I almost missed the bus.
informal
almost not; barely
She only just passed the exam.
She barely passed the exam.
We only just made it to the meeting on time.
We barely arrived at the meeting on time.
Used to emphasize that something happened very close to not happening at all.
Collocations
only just enoughbarely sufficientonly just in timearriving very close to the last possible moment
Antonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Emphasizing near-misses
Use 'only just' to highlight how close something was to not happening. It adds a sense of relief or surprise.
Gold Rule
Positioning
Place 'only just' before the main verb or at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis.
Tense
Use with past simple or present perfect tenses to describe completed actions.
Word Origin
The phrase combines 'only' (from Old English 'ānlic' meaning 'alone') and 'just' (from Old French 'juste', meaning 'exactly'). The combined usage to mean 'almost not' emerged in Middle English.
Usage Notes
Used to emphasize the near-miss nature of an event. Common in informal speech and writing.
Word Breakdown
only
exclusively; no more than
adverbjust
exactly; no more and no less
adverbEnglish Dictionary